Moonlight
by SilverEyeShinobi
Summary: My coven and I have fled to Konoha. We try not to feed on humans, but after an encounter with a slayer, my willpower goes down the drain. Turns out that slayer is harbouring a secret that could get him killed by his own kin. NOT TWILIGHT. NejiTen SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1: Coven

**A/N: Just let me make something clear before we get going. THIS STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TWILIGHT. In fact, I just took the style of vampire from Twilight, tore it to pieces, stomped on it, and burned it like a piece of firewood. The only thing even remotely similar is the fact that none of the characters feed on humans. At least they try not to.**

**Now where did I get my vampire inspiration from? GOOD vampire stories. The vampires in this story are an amalgamation of the vampires from the anime **_**Vampire Knight**_**, and a few elements here and there from a book series called **_**The Chronicles of Vladmir Todd**_**. There may also be a little bit of **_**Fortune Arterial**_** mixed in as well. Who knows? If you're into all of the above, maybe you can catch the little tidbits in there.**

**Vampires are cool.**

**Twilight is not.**

**And another thing I just want to say because I find it totally significant right now…The summary for this story is exactly 255 characters long. So yeah. I just scraped the bottom of the fan fiction summary barrel. I NEVER do that XD. I either run out and have to rewrite, or I crunch it down so that there's only 1 or 2 characters left. I hit it DEAD ON this time, and I feel so triumphant. Yeah I do admit I did rewrite it several times over…but even so! Exactly 255 characters!**

**ENJOY!**

Moonlight

Summary: My coven and I have fled to Konoha. We try not to feed on humans, but after an encounter with a slayer, my willpower goes down the drain. Turns out that slayer is harbouring a secret that could get him killed by his own kin. NOT TWILIGHT. NejiTen SasuSaku

Chapter 1: Coven

The wind whipped by my face and through my short brown hair as I sprinted along at breakneck speed. I could hear the whisper of Itachi right beside me. Sasuke was just ahead of me, Temari just behind me. Naruto flipped right over my head and caught up to Sasuke. I could hear them having a faint conversation, but with their voices so quiet and the wind rushing through my ears, I couldn't make it out.

We'd been running for at least an hour straight now. It was only a matter of time before we had to stop.

"Itachi, they're gone." Sasuke stated, dropping back between Itachi and myself.

Itachi sighed. "All right. Let's stop."

I sighed with relief and dropped to the ground. Everyone landed without a single whisper announcing our arrival.

"We'll stop here for now." Itachi stated.

"Are we still going to Konoha?" Naruto asked.

Itachi merely nodded.

I collapsed against a tree. My head pounded from hunger. I'd been deprived of blood for the last several weeks. We all had been. For us, that wasn't the best thing that could happen. In fact, it was completely foolish. To occupy my mind, I pulled the ties out of my hair and fixed the twin buns that was my common hairstyle.

"I'll go see if I can get something to eat." Naruto stated. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

"Pick something other than rabbits this time." Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto scoffed. "Beggars can't be choosers." He leapt away into the bush.

Sasuke was tense, his eyes bleeding to red as his jaw clenched. The coven had been practicing not feeding off humans for awhile now. Sasuke was considered the newbie. As far as the coven was concerned, he didn't have much willpower to not feed on a human. He liked it, almost preferred it. It was practically an addiction. It irritated the heck out of Itachi, but I knew Sasuke couldn't help it. He still followed us and made feeble attempts to control his hunger, but usually it was to no avail. Like I said before, it was like an addiction for him. He got withdrawal symptoms if he didn't get blood.

On most days, the urge was just too much for him to control. Today was one of those days. All of us could tell. Sasuke was thirsty. And whenever he got thirsty, it hit him harder than it hit any of us in the group. Sometimes, he even resorted to biting himself. Of course, that usually didn't quench it, it just made it worse.

His brother, Itachi, was exactly the opposite. In fact, he had started this coven in the first place. I was the first member of the coven, but soon we picked up Naruto, Temari and Sasuke. Itachi was really good with his thirst. No matter how long he'd been without blood, he never showed any signs of being thirsty. Not only that, but as far as I knew, he was one of the oldest vampires in the existence right now. Most of his past was all a mystery to me. I knew some of it, because I had been with him for the last hundred years, but all of his life before that, I didn't know.

One thing I did know however, was that he was a pureblood vampire. Both he and Sasuke were. There was only one thing I really knew about purebloods, and that was that their bite turns a human into a vampire. Itachi never went into details about it.

About twenty years after I joined Itachi's coven, we came across Naruto. Itachi and I had smelled the blood before we saw what had happened. Curiously, we went to see what was causing the smell and found a house with a little boy inside. He was crying, and when we walked into the house, it was pretty obvious what had happened.

Two adults lay dead on the ground, and the boy was slashing his wrists with a knife, attempting to kill himself. Of course, he was a vampire, so the wounds just healed before he could bleed out. Itachi stopped him from doing it, and all the boy could say was that he was a monster and he had killed his parents. Itachi took him into the coven, and he grew up with us.

Not long after he joined, I noticed a mark on Naruto's shoulder. It consisted of a series of dark blue, crisscrossing lines extending outwards from two points. I asked Itachi what it was, and he told me that it was the mark of a transformed vampire, meaning a pureblood vampire had bitten him. As time went on, I was slightly surprised that Naruto continued to grow even though he was a vampire. Itachi explained that vampires still grow just until they've matured, also known as, when humans finish puberty. After that, they pretty much stop growing.

Moving onto Temari, we met her five years after Naruto joined us. We found her in a massacred town. Though she was a vampire, she was burying the dead when we showed up. She was horrified at what her coven had done, slaughtering the entire small town. It made her feel sick, never wanting to feed on a human again. Thus, she came into our group.

Sasuke came about twenty years ago. Stubborn as a mule, he showed up suddenly and unexpectedly, merely stating he was joining us. Itachi welcomed him, but he made Sasuke promise not to feed of humans. Sasuke agreed to the terms, but I could tell he made no guarantees. Sometimes, his willpower was so weak, I wondered if he even made an effort to stop himself.

Naruto leapt back into the clearing.

"Guys! Guess what I found?" He cried.

"Spit it out." Sasuke growled.

Naruto sighed, his sails deflating for a moment. He looked up again. "I'm going to need your help though."

"What is it?" Itachi asked.

Naruto grinned. "A bear."

We all blinked in surprise.

"A bear?" Temari asked.

Naruto nodded. "I thought it would be a good meal, you know?"

"We're going to beat up a bear?" I asked.

"Well, how else are we going to eat?"

A wicked grin split across Sasuke's face, his red eyes glowing faintly. His razor sharp fangs glinted in the faint moonlight as he stood up. "Lead the way." He cracked his knuckles as if itching for a fight.

We all stood up and followed Naruto through the woods. My body shivered with excitement at the thought of getting a good meal for once. Seriously, living off the blood of herbivores isn't really all that satisfying. Not to mention, I was completely starving.

After a few minutes, we came to a complete stop. Sure enough, there was the bear. It snoozed peacefully, curled up into a ball against a tree.

We all looked to Itachi, waiting for the go-ahead. Sasuke looked like he would attack that bear whether his brother said yes or not.

"Sasuke, relax." Itachi stated.

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"We might be able to wrestle it down, but it still could be dangerous." Itachi looked around at the group.

"It can't be that hard." Temari stated. "Break its neck, and we're flying high."

"We could club it." I suggested. "Or drop the tree on top of it."

"I like Tenten's idea." Sasuke stated.

Naruto snorted. "You would too."

Itachi observed the bear for a few more seconds. "I think its strongest weapons are its claws and teeth. We should avoid those as much as we can."

"No duh, Itachi." Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke, calm down or you're going to be the last person to feed if we kill the bear." Itachi stated.

Sasuke snorted and looked away, though I could tell he was making an effort to control himself. I knew that Itachi wouldn't make him go without blood. That was a dangerous and stupid thing to do to Sasuke. If he was as hungry as he was now or worse, he wouldn't hesitate to kill a human if he got the chance.

And where we were going, there would be plenty of chances.

"We're all stronger than the bear, Itachi." Temari stated.

Itachi nodded. "That's true."

"And even if we do get scratched, we can heal." I added.

Itachi snorted. "If we get it across the chest, it's game over. There's no healing from that."

The coven nodded slowly. Now we all knew the gravity of the situation.

"So how are we going to take this thing down?" I asked.

"We have to do it before it wakes up." Itachi stated.

"Break its neck, right?" Temari asked.

Itachi considered this for a moment and nodded. Breaking of necks was the fastest way to kill something with minimal blood loss, meaning more blood for us.

And believe me, we needed it.

"Naruto, you're the strongest." Itachi stated. "You know what you need to do."

Naruto nodded.

"Don't screw up." Sasuke stated, leaning calmly against a tree.

Naruto bit his lip and stepped out into the clearing. Every step he took barely made a sound. I held my breath as I watched Naruto slowly approach the sleeping bear. If the bear woke up, a battle would ensue. We'd never fought a bear before, so we didn't know how it would turn out. One thing I did know was that severe injuries could kill us. Broken bones? Heaven forbid. We healed so fast, that for all we knew it would set crooked and we'd be crippled for the rest of our eternal lives.

Naruto was right up on the bear now. He seemed to be calculating how to go about breaking its neck from the position it was in now. Finally, quick as a flash, Naruto became a blur and a sharp crack cut through the silence. The bears head was now limp on the ground.

"Wow! I did it!" Naruto cried, sounding almost surprised.

"All right guys. Dig in." Itachi stated.

We all dove on the bear and made an attempt to bite it. All I got was a mouthful of fur.

"Blech! It's so hairy!" Temari cried, spitting out several coarse brown hairs.

Sasuke pulled a pocketknife from his back pocket and proceeded to hack away at the hairs until a spot was bare.

"Sasuke, do you mind?" I asked. "When you're done?"

Sasuke tossed me the knife and bit down on the bear. I quickly cleared my own spot and tossed Temari the knife. With the first bite, I was in heaven. The bears' heart wasn't beating so we had to really work to get the blood out, but it was well worth it. After months of living off rabbits and deer, tasting the blood of a legitimate omnivore was just divine.

We drained the bear dry. When we couldn't get any more blood out of it, we all backed away with a sigh. We all had gotten enough blood to satisfy us for a week. Or in Sasuke's case, maybe about…three days. Itachi? Two weeks. That's how damn good he was at this.

"Best meal all month." Temari stated, licking the blood off her lips.

"Yeah, that was better than that lynx we caught." Naruto stated.

The lynx…I still felt bad for that. Lynx's are such beautiful cats. If it wasn't for the fact that I was desperate, I would've balked and gone looking for rabbits. I just love cats too much.

"Sasuke?"

The group looked towards Sasuke whose eyes slowly flickered back to coal black. It had been nowhere near enough for him. The poor guy. I felt bad for him.

"I'll live." Sasuke stated. "For now at least."

Itachi nodded. "How are you going to be if we get to Konoha?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Right now? Maybe. Tomorrow, I don't know."

"I was going to say. I don't trust you on a half empty stomach." Itachi stated. "You'll have to get as much as you can before we enter the city. Don't be picky either."

Sasuke grumbled something to himself. It sounded almost like 'shut the fuck up', and I wouldn't put it past him to say that either.

Our coven left the area with the dead bear. We cleared as much distance as we could and then scrambled up several tall trees where we would sleep that night.

"Get as much sleep as you can, all of you." Itachi stated. "Konoha's not too far off now. We'll be there by noon tomorrow."

I shivered. Tomorrow. I hadn't been with humans for…well…A hundred years. A hundred years ago, I wasn't a vampire, so this truly was my first test. Could I get through this without killing anyone?

**A/N: Okay guys. How often do you want an update? This story is actually finished. It's sitting in my flash drive as you read this, calling out to me to post it. So yeah. I just need to edit it more. I don't care what you guys say, there is no way I'm putting a new chapter up every day. Does once a week sound good? Every three days? Whenever I can? (Pff, forget that last one. Because I can do it right now, and I don't want to. Why? It's called drawing the story out chapter by chapter.)**

**There's going to be approximately 10 chapters. Maybe a sequel a bit later, but we'll see.**

**For now, here's a preview of the next chapter!**

CHAPTER 2: THE ARDUOUS ROAD – PREVIEW

"Okay, so now what?" Sasuke asked Itachi, his tone dripping with ridicule.

"I won't lie when I say I didn't expect to see…well that…" Itachi stated. "I don't have the slightest clue how we're going to live in human society."

"Well, there's one thing I do know." I piped up. "If we want to live, we need money, and to get money we need a job."

Itachi nodded.

"Wait a second," Sasuke frowned. "Don't tell me you lead us to Konoha without a plan!"

"Go easy on him, Sasuke." Temari stated. "None of us knew what we would be up against when we came here!"

Sasuke scoffed.

Itachi's eyes flashed bright red. I backed away from him in a second, as did the rest of the coven. He grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt.

"Do you have a better idea, Sasuke? Do you think you could lead our coven to safety better than I can?" Itachi snarled.

It was a moment of firsts. It was the first time I had ever seen Itachi truly angry, and it was the first time I had seen Sasuke shake in fear.


	2. Chapter 2: The Arduous Road

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's your second chapter.**

**I'd like to dedicate the chapter to all of you who reviewed! That includes: DarkAnonymous324, Chii Saino Kuratsu, 0.09.o.0, WaterKonoichi13, rosesecret02, and two Anonymous reviewers by the names of 'Hi' and 'Karukaka'.**

**First of all...Hi...How on earth did you get the smiley in the review?**

**Karukaka...Your reviews make NO SENSE. You reviewed twice, and all of it was a sentence. The first being "So I think once a week and is neji gonna be in it". Did you fail to read the document crap? Neji H and Tenten. YES NEJI IS GOING TO BE IN IT. DUH. And then I get "Oh so nejis the coven leader u get it now". What the hell are you saying? Are you saying Neji should be the coven leader, or do you assume Neji's the coven leader? No to the first, and Neji is NOT the coven leader. Itachi is. As for Neji, I can't tell you what his role is. Yet. Just wait. He completely makes his debut in about...chapter 6, but if you're smart enough, you'll catch him early :P not saying which chapter. But I'm sure you guys can figure it out.**

**As of this moment, I'm disabling anonymous reviewers. Whenever I get one, it infuriates me to no end because most of the time I can't make heads or tails of them, or they seem to insult me in some way.**

**To those of you who left sensible reviews, here's the second chapter, dedicated to you!**

Moonlight

Chapter 2: The Arduous Road

I was woken up to a hot, tingling sensation across my skin. When I opened my eyes, I was almost blinded by the bright sun rising over the horizon. I had slept where I could see the stars the night before, and I had fallen asleep there despite the danger of waking up bathed in sunlight.

I leapt from the tree and landed on Itachi's branch. He woke up instantly, his eyes flashing red as he prepared for a fight. They faded to black the second he realized it was me.

"The sun's up." I told him.

Itachi nodded and slowly stood up. "Your face is a bit red."

I shrugged. "I woke up in it. It could be worse."

Itachi nodded again.

"Besides," I touched my face gently, feeling that it was as warm as a normal humans face. "I don't think I'm burned, I think it just warmed me."

"Stay in the shade for a few minutes." Itachi told me before leaping towards the rest of the branches our coven was sleeping on.

I did as I was told, watching him wake everyone up. Vampires didn't immediately catch fire and burn to a crisp in sunlight, but it would taste a lie to say that sunlight didn't affect us at all. I won't deny that we do burn. We get sunburns much faster than normal humans do. It's not the sunlight itself that makes us burn though. It's the UV rays that burn us, just like every normal human being.

Oh and did I mention we don't tan? We have paler skin than any other human in existence. When we eat we have a bit more colour in our skin, but we're still completely and utterly pale. That might be one reason we burn so easily, but none of us want to do any experiments, of course. That could end really badly.

"Are we all okay for food?" Itachi asked when we were all on the ground.

I bit my lip nervously. Temari looked doubtful. Sasuke looked like he could care less and Naruto was tapping his foot.

"Am I safe to assume that's a no?"

The coven mumbled something.

Itachi chuckled. "Better safe than sorry I guess."

"So are we going hunting?" Naruto asked.

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Don't be picky, all right? Just go for whatever you can get. And don't go too far. If you find a human, you know what to do about that. Just be careful, all right?" Itachi's eyes flashed red just before he leapt into the trees.

We all scattered, searching for anything we could get. Almost immediately, I stumbled upon the trail of a herd of deer. I was sick of deer, but blood is blood, and we needed blood today or we'd be screwed when we got to Konoha.

I found the herd pretty quickly. I looked over most of the deer, looking for the best one to take. I didn't want to take one that was perfectly healthy, because that might end badly with one well aimed kick. I didn't want to go for the old and sick either, because those were the ones wildlife went after, and I knew they wouldn't taste good at all. The fawns smelled sweetest, but I could never forgive myself if I killed a baby animal. It was so hard. Itachi told me not to be picky, but I couldn't help it. The bucks protected the herd, and I didn't want to kill a doe in case she was pregnant. Jeeze, I may as well just scrap this whole idea.

Then I saw it. It was a young buck with a broken leg. There. That would have to be my target. I couldn't bear to see the poor thing suffer, or even die by the jaws of a wolf, so I would have to take that one.

I jumped out of the bush and ran fast, the world a blur around me. The buck didn't see it coming until my foot had broken its neck. The herd called out in alarm at the exact same time and completely took off. I watched them go, my catch dead at my feet. I quickly sucked it dry, feeling a little more confident about going into a city of humans, but it still wouldn't hurt to eat as much as I could.

I smelled the area, casting for scents of anything living. There were rabbits in the ground beneath my feet, but it seemed like way too much effort for just a mouthful.

I whipped around just as Sasuke sailed through the trees and landed in front of me.

"What's up?" I asked.

Sasuke looked a little bit awkward as he spoke. "I was just looking for someone. I found something and I think I need some help taking it down…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Another bear." Sasuke stated. "It's smaller than the last one, and it's already smelled me once and tried to kill me."

"Is it a female?" I asked, frowning.

"Um…" Sasuke glanced away. "I think there was a cub behind me…"

I shook my head. "Nuh-uh. No way. I'm not going to kill a mother bear."

Sasuke shrugged. "Fine then. Can you find anything else?"

"Well I just got a deer. The rest of the herd ran that way if you want a go at them." I pointed in the direction the herd ran.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine."

I ran in the direction the herd went. I hoped there would be another animal to get once I got there.

The herd had run all the way into the next valley.

"There's wolves." Sasuke said softly.

Sure enough, I saw the canines creeping out of the bush and slowly circling the herd. My breath caught in my throat. They were beautiful in every way.

One of them broke from the pack and ran towards a deer. Sasuke took off as well at that moment. I gasped and saw the wolf bite down on the deer's leg just as Sasuke slammed into it. The herd scattered again, and the bitten deer attempted to limp after them. I saw the other wolves closing in on the poor thing, but it seemed as if Sasuke was finished with the one wolf and jumped at another.

I quickly ran towards the deer and latched onto it, breaking its neck and biting down.

The wolves circled nervously, watching us warily. I drained the deer and left what was left for the canines to eat. I took the time to observe them. Their amber eyes spoke volumes, filled with wisdom and sorrow. They were such misunderstood creatures. It reminded me of vampires. Our coven at least.

Sasuke stood up and licked the crimson liquid off his lips. He eyed the rest of the wolves hungrily.

"Sasuke, you've already killed two of the pack." I stated. "Besides, wolves are endangered. Don't kill too many."

Sasuke scoffed.

I sighed. Sasuke would always be Sasuke.

"For goodness sakes Sasuke." I sighed. "You're always so bloodthirsty."

He looked at me, his red eyes glinting darkly, a small smirk on his face.

"Obviously. I'm a vampire." He stated.

I sighed. _More so than others,_ I thought.

Just as I thought that, Sasuke's eyes slid back to the same dark shade as Itachi's and he sighed.

"It's so hard, Tenten." He stated, rubbing his forehead. So maybe he really did want to change, even just a little bit.

"What's hard, Sasuke?" I asked.

"I'm not like Itachi. I grew up with my uncle Madara who took me out on long hunts every three days or so. I had so much blood all the time that I became addicted, and now it's so hard to live like this."

I was shocked. Sasuke _never_ spilled his guts to anyone.

"Sasuke, why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because Itachi wouldn't understand, Naruto would try and fail to understand, and Temari won't care." Sasuke stated.

"You'll get through it, Sasuke." I stated.

Sasuke looked at me.

"Addictions can be conquered. Just cut back little by little."

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "I think we should try to meet up with the group again."

I nodded. "How are you going to do when we get to the city?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We'll just have to see."

"Hm."

We leapt off into the trees, searching for the rest of our coven.

* * *

><p>The first sign of nearing the city was when we started coming across towns. Itachi seemed taken aback by this development as we were forced to slow to a halt and literally walk the rest of the way. Luckily for us the clouds had covered up the sky so there would be a less chance of death-by-sunlight, as there was absolutely no cover to speak of.<p>

I stared around at all of the houses. They were so big! They seemed to be designed differently from what I remembered too. Even the cars were different. Everywhere I looked, I saw the sleek vehicles with their gently flowing curves. They looked almost like raindrops with the way they were shaped.

I suddenly came to a single conclusion. This new world scared the crap out of me. I didn't recognize anything! The world was so foreign! I looked at the clothes that some people were wearing and immediately felt out of place. Mine just looked so old.

"Itachi, did you even expect to see this?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi shook his head very slowly, as if he too was afraid of the foreign world we had just stepped into.

"Naruto, do you know what some of this stuff is?" I whispered to him. Naruto was the youngest in the group, and he had grown up in human society a little bit as well.

"Um…yeah…I think…" He said, his voice shaky. "I mean, I was young so I think I remember a little."

We kept walking and eventually we ended up back in the countryside. We all sighed with relief at the familiar surroundings.

"Okay, so now what?" Sasuke asked Itachi, his tone dripping with ridicule.

"I won't lie when I say I didn't expect to see…well that…" Itachi stated. "I don't have the slightest clue how we're going to live in human society."

"Well, there's one thing I do know." I piped up. "If we want to live, we need money, and to get money we need a job."

Itachi nodded.

"Wait a second," Sasuke frowned. "Don't tell me you lead us to Konoha without a plan!"

"Go easy on him, Sasuke." Temari stated. "None of us knew what we would be up against when we came here!"

Sasuke scoffed.

Itachi's eyes flashed bright red. I backed away from him in a second, as did the rest of the coven. He grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt.

"Do you have a better idea, Sasuke? Do you think you could lead our coven to safety better than I can?" Itachi snarled.

It was a moment of firsts. It was the first time I had ever seen Itachi truly angry, and it was the first time I had seen Sasuke shake in fear.

"If you think you can, then be my guest!" Itachi threw Sasuke aside. Somehow, Sasuke stayed standing. He looked up at his brother who stepped back as if to allow Sasuke to lead the group.

What can I say? We all looked at Sasuke expectantly, wondering what he would do. His trembling started again.

Sasuke hung his head. "No…" He lamented, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't think I can…"

Itachi nodded and stepped forward again. Sasuke quickly retreated, practically ducking behind the group. I don't blame him one bit. If Itachi had turned his fury onto me, I think I would've run for the hills too.

Itachi's always so gentle and kind. Seeing him get angry was like seeing hell frozen over, or pigs flying. I guess there is nothing that you should fear more than the anger of a gentle man.

"Does anybody have any ideas?" Itachi asked.

I thought about that for a moment. I didn't get a good feeling by staying here and pondering just what to do. I wanted to move. To get to Konoha.

"Itachi, I think we should just keep moving." I stated.

Everyone looked at me like I had just grown two heads.

"Tenten, we don't even have a plan." Itachi sighed. "Even if we get to Konoha, what are we going to do once we get there?"

I shrugged and looked at the ground. I couldn't explain it, but I had a really good feeling about this.

"I just think we should keep going." I stated. "I have a feeling that it'll work out once we get there."

Itachi nodded slowly. He seemed doubtful, which irritated me for some unexplained reason. What can I say? I lost my temper too.

"Seriously, Itachi, what the hell else are we going to do?" I cried. "Stand here like idiots trying to think of something to do while the whole of vampire kind are after us? We need to keep moving, Itachi. If it still doesn't work out, then you can blame me." I sighed. "I just think it's going to work out. I really do."

"Tenten's right." Temari stated. "It'll do us no good to stand here and talk about it."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded their agreement.

Itachi sighed. "Fine. We'll continue to Konoha." He turned and continued to walk. We followed him.

Honestly, I hoped my hunch was right.

**A/N: Um...Not much to say here. Except for I don't beg for reviews just so I can get recognition. I beg for reviews so I can hear what you guys have to say. I'm not going to be like a bunch of other lame authors who write "give me 10 reviews, and I'll update". I don't care how many reviews I get, it's just what are in the reviews. If I get reviews of people who actually like the story, I will update and hope that more people will tag along later.**

**So yeah! Let me hear your thoughts! Leave a review! Flame me if you want for all I care. XD**

**AAAAND HERE'S YOUR PREVIEW!**

CHAPTER 3: ARRIVAL – PREVIEW

"An old, rundown house." Naruto stated. "Could we get anymore cliché for a vampire abode?"

We all laughed.

"Anyone want to bet that it's haunted?" Temari added, walking towards one of the rooms.

"That would make everything perfect." Naruto finished sarcastically.

We laughed again.

"We'll have to clean it up." Itachi stated. "But I'm sure we can make it liveable."

Temari screamed in horror. We all whipped towards her just in time to see her tearing from the room, shaking violently.

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"Rats!" She cried. "They're so disgusting!"

We all looked into the room Temari had charged out of and sure enough, there were a few rats wandering this way and that.

"As I said," Itachi said calmly. "We have to clean this place up."


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's your chapter three!**

**This chapter is dedicated to: glitterthorn, Chii Saino Kuratsu, DarkAnonymous324, BleachedSky, WaterKunoichi13, cielchat, AnimeCrazed121, hollysky, TemaxShika forever.**

**You guys may also notice a little bit of humour in this chapter. (Especially since I got so many comments on the preview for this chapter.)What can I say? If you guys read some of my other stories, you'll know I'm a total comedy writer at heart. I like writing comedy every chance I get. In more neutral stories like this one that has both dark elements, and happy elements, there's the occasional funny moment in there that just slips through.**

**Well! Enjoy the chapter!**

Moonlight

Chapter 3: Arrival

We walked all day, slowly finding more and more houses. After awhile, there wasn't a place we could walk where there were no people, and even if there was, it was brief.

When we emerged from a large forest that was somehow still around in this modern world, we could only stare in awe at the towering skyscrapers above our heads. The sun was beginning to set through the clouds, turning them bright red. It was a beautiful sight. We could actually watch it as the actual sun was behind the tallest building in the center of the city.

"You picked the perfect place, Itachi." Temari stated. "It's surrounded by trees so we can still hunt, but at the same time, live with humans."

"That was the idea." Itachi assured. He turned towards me. "So? If you had such a good hunch to continue coming here, what do we do now?"

I didn't even reply to what he said. I just started walking. Surprisingly, the group followed me. So I was the leader this time. I wouldn't let them down.

At least I hoped I wouldn't.

* * *

><p>The boy looked up, reaching over to his iPod speakers and pressing the pause button. He looked out the window, his long hair blowing in the soft breeze. Chills of unease raced down his spine. He could feel them here. He didn't know where they were, but he could feel their inhuman energy.<p>

"Ow!" He hissed, gripping his forearm. It was hurting again. It had happening more and more often. Every time it happened, it filled him with a sense of dread. He couldn't let his family find out. If they did, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

The pain subsided and he sighed with relief. It was just a small attack this time. For all he knew, the next one would change his life forever.

* * *

><p>I walked, searching for a place where we could stay. I was simply following my instincts as I walked.<p>

Then I saw it.

Off in the distance was a very run down house behind rusted iron gates. I could tell just by looking at it that it was old and completely unoccupied.

"There!" I stated, pointing at the house. "We can stay there! Nobody's inside it!"

Nobody made an effort to argue back. A house was a house. For all we knew, the humans wouldn't let us stay there, but if we could, we were flying high.

We glanced over our shoulders just before we leapt over the fence and into the house's courtyard. It really was beat up. Someone had painted all over it with crazy, unreadable letters, and some of the windows were broken. For all we knew, the entire inside was rotted out. Still, it would be the only place to stay, so we shoved open the front door and entered the house.

I was immediately hit with a wave of smells that sent my head spinning. It smelled like mould and mildew, death and rot. I could smell rotting wood and maybe a bit of soot and a few others odd smells I couldn't place.

"An old, rundown house." Naruto stated. "Could we get anymore cliché for a vampire abode?"

We all laughed.

"Anyone want to bet that it's haunted?" Temari added, walking towards one of the rooms.

"That would make everything perfect." Naruto finished sarcastically.

We laughed again.

"We'll have to clean it up." Itachi stated. "But I'm sure we can make it liveable."

Temari screamed in horror. We all whipped towards her just in time to see her tearing from the room, shaking violently.

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"Rats!" She cried. "They're so disgusting!"

We all looked into the room Temari had charged out of and sure enough, there were a few rats wandering this way and that.

"As I said," Itachi said calmly. "We have to clean this place up."

"That's a lot of cleanup." Naruto sighed. It didn't help us at all that the sun was pretty much over the horizon now. The spooky house was slowly darkening to an almost pitch black.

"Do we have to stay in here tonight?" Temari whispered. "Can we sleep in trees for just one more night?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, we're going to have to."

* * *

><p>The next day, we entered the house to see just what it was that needed to be done. Believe me, there was a lot. Dust covered everything, and in every room, things were broken. I couldn't even list all of the things that we would need to do if we were going to stay here.<p>

"Let's start by getting the rats out of here." Itachi stated.

"What do we do?" Naruto asked.

"Kill them, of course."

"EW!" Temari cried. "No way."

"I didn't say eat them, Temari." Itachi ran a hand through his hair. "I don't care how you do it, just as long as they all get out of here. We shouldn't have a problem with that. Once we get rid of the rats, we can go from room to room and clean everything up."

Now that there was light, we could all walk through the house and see everything that was inside it. Sasuke found a fireplace in what used to be the living room area of the house and grabbed the fire poker from the tool rack. Almost immediately, he speared a rat through the head with it.

"Breakfast anyone?" He asked, a wry grin on his face.

"That's disgusting, Sasuke." Temari stated. She gave a shudder of pure revulsion and left the room.

"And how is she a vampire?" Naruto asked.

"Even I have to admit, Naruto, rats are disgusting." I stated.

* * *

><p>I couldn't tell you how long we worked on that house. Occasionally, Itachi would leave and come back in an hour or two with new knowledge about the unfamiliar world we now lived in.<p>

What I assumed was the first two weeks of battling with the rats and slowly making the rundown house liveable, a pair of official looking humans entered our household. They were dressed quite spiffy if I do say so myself. They looked around the house and seemed surprised by our progress in just two weeks.

However, once they got over their surprise they were all business.

"What are you doing here?" One of them asked.

"Cleaning up?" Itachi seemed a little uneasy.

I looked over their forms, spotting a badge on both of their shirts saying 'Konoha Police Services'. I realized at that second that these were modern police officers.

"You have no authorization to be here. This is private property." The officer stated.

"It looked pretty abandoned to me." Itachi stated. "Nobody was using it, so I thought maybe we could take it."

"This property was never up for sale." The other officer stated. "So unless you have authorization to be here, you must get out now."

"Can't we live here?" Itachi asked.

I was very confused at the events of the next few weeks. Several humans came by our house talking about trespassing and whatnot. I can't really explain it. Then the mayor came by and handed over the key to us, so now we officially owned the house. They mayor did say something about being glad that the house was going to be restored, as it was an old treasure the city only kept because the people wanted it to stay. Apparently it was old. Like…1800's old. So yeah, it was pretty old.

After we got the key, nobody came over anymore and we were left in peace.

In the second month of our arrival in Konoha, Itachi made it his duty to get a job and make money for us. Sure enough, he opened up a bank account and managed to get a job at a carwash. He learned how to do a lot of really interesting stuff in that time too. He learned how to make a 'resume' whatever that was.

There was a huge improvement in the house since we first arrived. It was actually liveable now. Sort of. It was clean at least.

The mayor paid us another visit around that time to check out the house. She was quite impressed with the work, and asked us if we had done anything with the wiring and plumbing. I had no idea what that was, but the mayor offered to help us out with those. She called them 'utilities'. By the third week of the second month, we had running water and electricity.

The thing that sucks is that just when we had a home, our vampiric origins started to catch up to us.

**A/N: I must say, I had a terrible time writing this chapter. It's a total filler, and I think I screwed it up. What say you? Boost my confidence. It was also a pretty short chapter. Very uneventful too. But trust me: The next chapter picks up by a lot. Here pretty much ends the introduction. We reach the turning point next chapter. See for yourself.**

CHAPTER 4: PUSHING THE LIMITS – PREVIEW

Instantly the smell of his blood washed over me. I gasped and backed away as fast as I could, pressing my hand over my mouth and nose. I had smelled human blood before, but this blood…It smelled so _good_.

The slayer held his finger out towards me, seeming to enjoy my torment. "Not a vampire?" He hissed, taking a step forward. I scrambled backwards, trying to get as far away from him as I could, but fighting my raw vampire instincts was the hardest thing I had ever done. Especially since the blood was on the outside and not inside where it belonged. My fangs pressed against my gums, begging for release.

I suddenly hit something hard. I knew it was a tree. The slayer continued to step towards me, his bloody finger still held out.

"P-Please…" I whispered. "I don't want to hur-" I shuddered, his finger smearing the blood down my cheek, flicking over my lips just slightly. If that blood touched my tongue, I was done. I knew it. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. It was just a small amount that trickled between my lips, but that was all that was needed. The only thing I could think from then on was that I wanted more, and this boy had what I wanted.


	4. Chapter 4: Pushing the Limits

**A/N: Well, I'm a bit disappointed at the review count this time around, but hey. Guess what guys! This is where the events start to happen! In this chapter, the turning point for the story occurs! So wait no longer! Everything is now in place! Get ready for the ride! :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to: DarkAnonymous324, WaterKunoichi13, AnimeCrazed121, kenzinator, Chii Saino Kuratsu.**

**Enjoy you guys! **

Moonlight

Chapter 4: Pushing the Limits

After two and a half months worth of work, our house, though still ugly and beat up, was finally in liveable shape. For the first time in a long time, we all went on a hunt simultaneously. We split up again, doing our own personal hunting for whatever we could catch. I thought about Sasuke a couple of times, but figured he would be all right.

I sighed and sat against a rock, staring out at the dark water of a lake. It was so peaceful and serene, even though my mind was completely on feeding. I had only managed to catch a deer tonight, and my thirst was still very much alive.

A chill suddenly went down my spine and I rolled away from the rock just as I heard a _swish._ I saw some movement by the rock just as a pair of silver eyes met mine. My body froze as I watched the owner of those eyes step from the shadows and into the moonlight.

It was a boy. His hair was long and dark, flowing out behind him like a curtain. He wore a black sweater that was unzipped, revealing a black t-shirt with the word 'Skillet' on it and black pants with chains running down his legs. I don't even know how I didn't hear those. In his hand was a piece of sharpened wood about a foot long.

What he was suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

He was a slayer.

A vampire slayer.

"Finally."

I jumped. The boys' voice sounded a little old for the way he looked. The gruff tenor didn't match the boyish features of the slayer's face.

"After two months, I finally found one of you." The boy growled.

"W-What are you talking about?" I whispered.

A smirk crossed the boys' features, once again, not matching very well.

"I know what you are." He stated. "And I'm here to stop you before you hurt a single person in this city."

His body suddenly disappeared. I gasped and rolled to the side just as he thrust the stake towards my chest. He kept coming at me, and I just kept dodging. I had no idea how this slayer was so fast. I heard from Itachi that slayers were human, and relatively easy to get away from.

But this slayer…Somehow he was just as fast as I was. And by fast, I mean inhumanly fast.

We backed away from each other. The boy still held his stake up. He seemed to be a little dishevelled with the fact that it was so difficult for him to kill me.

"Come on, vampire." The boy stated. "Fight back and make this interesting for me."

"Vampire?" I cried, trying to hide my anxiety to little avail. "I'm not a vampire!"

"Oh really?" The slayer raised an eyebrow. Then he raised his stake and pressed it to his finger, cutting a long gash down his fingertip.

Instantly the smell of his blood washed over me. I gasped and backed away as fast as I could, pressing my hand over my mouth and nose. I had smelled human blood before, but this blood…It smelled so _good_.

The slayer held his finger out towards me, seeming to enjoy my torment. "Not a vampire?" He hissed, taking a step forward. I scrambled backwards, trying to get as far away from him as I could, but fighting my raw vampire instincts was the hardest thing I had ever done. Especially since the blood was on the outside and not inside where it belonged. My fangs pressed against my gums, begging for release.

I suddenly hit something hard. I knew it was a tree. The slayer continued to step towards me, his bloody finger still held out.

"P-Please…" I whispered. "I don't want to hur-" I shuddered, his finger smearing the blood down my cheek, flicking over my lips just slightly. If that blood touched my tongue, I was done. I knew it. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. It was just a small amount that trickled between my lips, but that was all that was needed. The only thing I could think from then on was that I wanted more, and this boy had what I wanted.

I fell to the ground, gasping and whimpering, trying to suppress the urge to suck the boy dry.

"Just as I thought."

I looked up at him to see him standing there, towering over me. He had a conniving smirk on his face. I watched as he tilted his head to the side, showing me his neck.

"Go on. I dare you." He said with a smirk.

I stared at the smooth, pale skin of his neck. My instincts screamed at me to bite him, but the sane part of me kept screaming _no…no…_

"What are you waiting for, vampire?" The slayer whispered. "I know you want to."

I had to. I had to, I had to, I had to. That's all I could think. I felt as if I would die if I didn't. The only thing standing between me, and probably the most satisfying meal I'd ever have is my desire to not hurt anybody.

I had been about to do it too.

But just then, the slayer gasped and dropped his stake, taking several steps back before falling to his knees, clutching his forearm. He looked like he was in pain.

The slayer opened one eye, looked at me, turned and ran. I barely saw him move.

I stared after him in shock. I didn't know what had just happened, but whatever it was it had saved me in two different ways. The first was that I wasn't going to die by the hands of a slayer tonight. The second was that I wasn't going to give into my vampire instincts and drink a humans blood.

Then I began to shake, realizing just how close I had come to both of those things.

* * *

><p>"AH!" The slayer fell to the ground again, gasping in pain. He pulled the sweater off and threw it to the ground. He stared at his forearm where the series of crisscrossing lines had appeared again.<p>

The blue mark had begun to turn red. It burned painfully as the red began to spread very slowly outwards from two points. This was it. He was in the final stages. Very soon, he wouldn't even be human.

The slayers' gasps faded out along with the pain. He looked down at his arm to see that the red had only travelled a few millimetres. As the pain continued to fade, the red retreated again, leaving the mark the same, dark blue colour. Finally, the mark faded away.

He got lucky this time.

* * *

><p>"ITACHI!" I tore into the house, holding the stake in my hand.<p>

"Tenten, what's wrong?" Itachi emerged from the living room. His eyes widened in horror. "What's on your face?"

"My fa- No, it's the slayers blood. Get it off! Get it off!" I cried, wanting desperately to wipe it off with my hands, but too afraid to do so. All I could do was scramble around in terror and wait until Itachi came back with a wet dishcloth. He quickly wiped the blood off my cheek.

I started hyperventilating.

"Tenten, calm down, and tell me what happened." Itachi said softly.

"It was a slayer, Itachi!" I cried. "He came out of nowhere and tried to kill me. Then he cut his finger with his stake- No! His blood is still on it!" I threw the stake across the room, prompting Itachi to stare after it in horror before going to get it.

"Tenten, relax."

"K-Keep it away from me, Itachi!" I cried. "His blood smelled so good, I wanted to bite him so bad!" I trembled violently. "He smeared it down my cheek and across my mouth. I tasted it, Itachi! And I wanted more!" I sobbed.

"Okay, okay," Itachi rubbed my back comfortingly. "It's okay now. Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head.

"Did you hurt him?"

I shook my head again.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"But that's the thing." I whispered. "I almost did hurt him. In fact, I would've if…" I frowned. "I don't know what happened. He just gasped and backed away from me, clutching his forearm. He looked like he was in pain."

Itachi seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"T-There was something else too, Itachi." I whispered. "You've told me about slayers before. They're…human, right?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes. They're completely human."

"But this slayer was moving just as fast as I was. He was so fast…"

Itachi frowned for a moment before helping me off the ground.

"It doesn't matter." He stated. "Just go to bed, all right? Everything will be okay."

I nodded and retreated for the stairs. That slayer frightened me, yet I still couldn't get my mind off him. I could still taste his blood. It was so sweet…

I flinched. I still wanted his blood.

* * *

><p>I saw the slayer right in front of me. He raised his stake and leapt towards me. I dodged out of the way, over and over again.<p>

Finally, I grabbed his wrist and twisted it. He yelped and dropped the stake. I grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and sunk my fangs into his neck. I heard him cry out in pain, and I begged myself to stop, but he tasted too sweet…

I screamed and leapt from my sleep. I put a hand over my mouth, trying to will my fangs to go back into my gums. I gasped. I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop the way I was feeling. I threw my covers aside and leapt out of bed, heading towards the window. I threw it open and leapt out into the night. I had to kill. I had to get blood.

I ran into the forest, searching for something, anything. As always, the first thing I found was a herd of deer. I shoved away my urge for the slayers blood and leapt on the nearest one. I tried not to think about how different the deer's blood was from the slayers. The deer's' blood was almost bitter, but I tried to ignore that.

When I was finished with the first one, I pursued the fleeing herd and jumped on the next one. As I sucked that one dry, one thought suddenly rushed through my mind.

Was this what Sasuke felt? If this was the way he felt, I understood why he had so much trouble stopping himself. I understood the blood thirst. Sasuke went through hell.

I dropped the deer and collapsed against a tree, sobbing with shame. I felt terrible. I had lost it for the first time. I had killed two innocent creatures in my thirst. I wished the slayer _had_ killed me. I felt sick.

"Tenten?"

I looked up to see Itachi walking towards me. But he wasn't the one I wanted to speak to.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Where's Sasuke?" I whispered. "I want to talk to Sasuke."

I'm happy to say that Itachi didn't question it. His eyes seemed to darken in understanding, and he turned and sped off into the trees. I put my head on my arms and closed my eyes. The whole time I was waiting, I did everything in my power not to think about the slayer, or the dream I had.

I heard the soft sound of something landing on the ground in front of me, but I didn't look up.

"Tenten."

I looked up slowly. It was Sasuke. He watched me, his face unreadable as always. I couldn't tell whether he was irritated at being woken up, or he understood what I was going through, or was sad because I was feeling this way.

"Come on." He stated, turning slightly. He took a few slow steps away and looked back at me.

I stood up shakily and walked towards him. He waited for me, and continued to walk when I arrived at his side.

We slowly walked through the forest. I stared down at my feet while he simply took each step at a time with a calm demeanour.

"Itachi told me what happened." Sasuke's baritone voice cut through the air.

I glanced up at him. "What did he tell you?" I asked.

"He told me that you had a run in with a slayer." Sasuke stated. "And that you tasted his blood."

I looked at my feet again.

"What exactly happened, Tenten?"

I bit my lip. "He…I can't really explain it…He cut his finger on his stake like he wanted me to attack him or something. He smeared the blood on my face and some of it got in my mouth." I whispered. "Then he taunted me, daring me to bite him."

"Did you?"

"No…" I whispered. "I almost did."

"He's a slayer, and you didn't kill him?"

"I didn't want to." I murmured. "The only reason I didn't actually bite him was because something… happened to him. He ran away as if he was in pain. I can't explain it."

Sasuke nodded.

"Sasuke, it's all I can think about…" I gasped, stopping and putting my face in my hands. I whimpered as a few tears spilled from my eyes. "I even dreamed about it. I can't stop thinking about the taste of his blood!"

Sasuke put his hand on my back in an attempt to be comforting. I heard him sigh just before he pulled me into a hug. I was stunned by this gesture. It was so un-Sasuke, but I appreciated it all the same.

"How do you do it, Sasuke?" I cried. "How do you do it without cracking?"

"Tenten, I don't."

My eyes widened.

"I…Please don't tell Itachi."

I looked up at him. "Sasuke…No…you didn't…"

Sasuke shook his head. "I didn't kill anyone. I just…found someone."

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke let go of me and put his hand on a tree. He leaned against it, keeping his head low.

"Please don't tell Itachi." He said again.

"Sasuke, you didn't bite anyone, did you?"

"Tenten, promise!"

I flinched. Sasuke's eyes burned bright red as he glared at me.

"Fine." I whispered. "I won't tell." I had a horrible feeling upon making that promise.

Sasuke turned around and leaned against the tree.

"Her name is Sakura…"

**A/N: I'm actually really happy with this chapter. Seriously. It might be my favourite one. And what role does Sakura play in this story? Sorry you're stuck waiting until the next update. But you DO get a preview!**

CHAPTER 5: SASUKE'S DILEMMA – PREVIEW

He slowly walked forward and suddenly caught her scent. He stopped and closed his eyes. His body shivered. She smelled like nothing he'd ever known before. It was like flowers, but it was sweet at the same time. When he opened his eyes, he had a feeling that they had shifted to blood red. In the moonlight, he could just make out the shape of a cliff just a few feet from the girls trembling form.

The girl suddenly gave a tortured scream, making Sasuke flinch back in surprise. He watched as she stood up and took a few steps forward. One thing went through his head at that moment, and that was _what is she doing? There's a cliff there!_ She didn't seem to care though. She even broke into a run.

Sasuke's legs moved of their own accord as he ran towards the girl. All he could see was her broken body at the bottom of the cliff, that light, sweet, flowery scent forever replaced with the smell of blood.

Just as she dropped off the cliff, Sasuke grabbed her arm, and didn't let go.


	5. Chapter 5: Sasuke's Dilemma

**A/N: One thing that I've noticed recently is that...well...Everyone in this story is in character. Generally at least. It's the first time I've written Itachi the way he is in the anime/manga, because I always like to make him the fun loving older brother. I admit, Naruto's a bit quieter, but everyone who's supposed to be stoic, is stoic. See? Take that flamers! I SO can write these guys in character! I just choose not to! HAHA! X3**

**Sorry for that! This chapter is dedicated to: glitterthorn, rosesecret02, Chii Saino Kuratsu, DarkAnonymous324, WaterKunoichi13, Princess Kitana18, Love Is Only a Word, AnimeCrazed121, and kenzinator.**

**Thanks so much for all of your reviews! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Moonlight

Chapter 5: Sasuke's Dilemma

_Her name is Sakura. I found her while I was out hunting a month ago._

Sasuke skidded to a stop. Very faintly, he could hear sobbing. He knew it was a human, and he knew he would be pushing his luck to approach, but he couldn't help it. The sound was just so…was it heart wrenching?

He approached carefully. The sound got louder and louder as he walked. Then off in the distance, he saw it. It was a girl on her knees, sobbing into her hands. Even from this distance, he could see the pink of her hair. It was an interesting colour.

He slowly walked forward and suddenly caught her scent. He stopped and closed his eyes. His body shivered. She smelled like nothing he'd ever known before. It was like flowers, but it was sweet at the same time. When he opened his eyes, he had a feeling that they had shifted to blood red. In the moonlight, he could just make out the shape of a cliff just a few feet from the girls trembling form.

The girl suddenly gave a tortured scream, making Sasuke flinch back in surprise. He watched as she stood up and took a few steps forward. One thing went through his head at that moment, and that was _what is she doing? There's a cliff there!_ She didn't seem to care though. She even broke into a run.

Sasuke's legs moved of their own accord as he ran towards the girl. All he could see was her broken body at the bottom of the cliff, that light, sweet, flowery scent forever replaced with the smell of blood.

Just as she dropped off the cliff, Sasuke grabbed her arm, and didn't let go.

The girl screamed in fury and pain as her short fall ended abruptly. Sasuke shook away his vampire instincts, trying to ignore the warmth beneath his hand, and trying to suppress the urge to sink his teeth into her neck. Not that he could in this position anyway.

The girl looked up at him with tear stained green eyes. Her lip trembled. "You…You…" Her face scrunched up. She roared in fury and swatted up at him with her free hand. "Let go of me!"

Sasuke ignored her protests and dragged her back up onto the cliff.

"I said, LET GO!" She roared, her fist connecting with Sasuke's face.

Sasuke grunted in surprise. She had an impressive right hook, even for a human. He would have to watch out for that.

The girl shrieked in fury again and aimed another punch at his face. Without thinking, Sasuke grabbed her fist and pinned her against a nearby tree where she continued to scream and fight.

Then her furious demeanour shattered as her body was racked with heartbroken sobs.

Sasuke lowered her to the ground as carefully as he could where she sobbed violently. He sat back and watched her cry. He wasn't good with crying people. He didn't understand what she was feeling, and he didn't know whether he wanted to or not.

After some time, her sobs died down. Sasuke watched as she slowly raised her head, her bright green eyes meeting his. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. They were so beautiful. He could only imagine the way they lit up when she smiled.

"Why?" She whispered.

"Why what?" Sasuke asked.

"Why did you save me?"

Sasuke held her gaze. He couldn't think of an excuse to save her. Other than the reason he charged for the cliff in the first place, and that was simply 'she smelled good' as far as he was concerned.

"Because I couldn't sit still and watch a girl throw herself off a cliff." Sasuke stated.

The girl's eyes widened slightly. She looked down at her feet.

"Why did you want to do that?" Sasuke questioned.

"I couldn't take it anymore…" She whispered. A few more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I just couldn't do it…"

"Do what?" Sasuke frowned.

"Everybody's always teasing me…" She whimpered. "They laugh at my hair and make fun of my forehead. I'm 'no chest Sakura'. I'm 'billboard brow', I'm…I'm…" She burst into tears again.

Sasuke couldn't help but look her up and down at that moment. Frankly, he thought she was quite lovely. Then again, that could be the vampire inside him saying that.

"I'm _ugly!_" The girl cried.

Sasuke sighed and reached towards her. He tucked two fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head back to see her face. She stared at him with her wide, doe-like green eyes.

"On the contrary, I think you're quite beautiful." Sasuke internally slapped himself for saying that, simply because he really did think she was beautiful.

"You're just saying that." Sakura stated, her eyes narrowing with contempt.

"No, I…" Sasuke sighed, feeling himself going soft just thinking about it. "I really meant it."

The girl swatted his hand away and crossed her arms. She leaned against the tree and stared at him defiantly.

"Okay then." She stated. "Then tell me why you think I'm beautiful."

Sasuke immediately got nervous. He did _not_ like spilling his guts, especially to a total stranger.

The girl glared at him. "That's what I thought. You don't really think so."

"No, I never said that." Sasuke stated.

"You didn't have to."

"Oh, so why do you think you have the right to assume what I'm thinking?" Sasuke glared at her.

Her green eyes glared back at him. Then they softened and she burst into tears again.

"Everybody thinks the same thing! Everybody thinks I'm ugly!"

"And I'm telling you you're not!" Sasuke cried.

"Well then answer my question!" She screeched.

"I just have a hard time with my emotions, that's all!"

"Well then- Huh?"

Sasuke looked away from her, feeling his cheeks flushing slightly. He was a vampire, but now he assumed vampires could in fact blush. You learn something new every day. How weird.

"I didn't lie." Sasuke muttered.

"So then…You really think I'm beautiful?"

He snuck a glance at her and wished he didn't. Yes, she was beautiful. Her green eyes sparkled with hope, her lip trembling with an emotion he couldn't identify.

"You _are_ beautiful." Sasuke stated.

"But what about my forehead?" She whispered. "It's huge, isn't it?"

Sasuke looked at her to see her patting her bangs over her forehead to hide it from prying eyes. Without thinking about it, Sasuke reached over and smoothed it right back the way it was so he could look at it. She stared at him with her bright green eyes as he looked her face over.

"It's not huge." Sasuke stated. "Your forehead is the same size as everyone else's forehead."

"No it isn't." The girl looked at her feet again.

"It just looks bigger." Sasuke stated. "But that's because you have smaller features." He had honestly wanted to say 'petite' but he felt that was pushing the limit.

She pouted up at him with disdain.

"I never said that was a bad thing." Sasuke sighed. "But adding onto what I was saying, you've got big green eyes that I think any girl would kill for." He let her hair fall where it would and sat back again.

"You just said my forehead was big." She pouted.

Sasuke shot her a look. "Listen you, everyone's an individual. Nobody's perfect, and-"

"Liar."

Sasuke started slightly. She glared at him.

"You said nobody's perfect, but just looking at you, you have no imperfections at all. You're perfect."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No. You're wrong. I'm not perfect at all."

The girl stood up. "Have you even looked in a mirror? You look like a freaking god!"

"A…god?"

She flushed bright pink and sat back down, not meeting his eyes.

"Gods aren't human." Sasuke murmured. "Gods don't count in the grand scheme of things."

The girl scoffed. "Well, you're sitting right in front of me, so if you must be human."

"Don't assume." Sasuke stated.

The girl _humph_ed.

Sasuke sat still for a few seconds. When she didn't say anything, he looked towards her again and met her bright green gaze. He held it for some unknown reason. He just didn't feel like looking away.

"W-What's your name?" The girl whispered, still holding his gaze. Her eyes had glazed over slightly in the time he'd been staring into them.

"Sasuke." Sasuke stated.

"Sasuke…" She tried it out. Sasuke couldn't deny the fact that he felt a curious tingle down his spine at the sound of her voice forming his name.

"I'm Sakura." She breathed.

Sasuke continued to watch her. Her eyes were slightly hopeful.

"Sakura." He tried out. He watched her eyes darken in response. A second later she leaned forward and got on her hands and knees.

"Sasuke…" She whispered, reaching up towards him. "For some reason your eyes…" Her hand touched his cheek, cupping it gently. His heart raced slightly as he tried to hold back his vampire.

"They draw me in…" She breathed. Her other hand cupped his other cheek. His breath caught in his throat. He could feel the blood pulsing beneath her skin as she leaned closer.

She climbed into his lap before he realized what was happening. She hovered over him. He could feel her straddling his hips, a feeling he couldn't explain burning through him. For once, being this close to a human didn't come with an uncontrollable urge to drain every last drop of blood from their body. It was a strange feeling that he found both welcome, and unwelcome.

Her lips softly touched his. He drew a shaky breath, his eyes drifting closed, his hands running up her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her lips onto his. Sasuke felt his vampire running wild, the animal side of him wanting more. He felt his fangs sliding out of his gums, though he didn't want to bite her. He kissed her harder, drawing a squeak from her lips. No, he didn't want to bite her, he wanted to _possess_ her. Make her his and no one else's.

He smelled her sweet, flowery scent and it made his head spin. His tongue flicked across her lips, enticing a gasp from the girl he held. His tongue slid between her lips. He heard her whimper softly. He slanted his mouth across hers, sliding his tongue in further. Sakura moaned, her arms wrapping tighter around his neck, putting pressure against his hips. He almost lost control from the feeling that ravaged through his body. He was stunned a human could make him feel this way.

She broke contact with his lips and gasped for air, her head tilting back. His eyes fell on her slender neck, the vampire inside him screaming with triumph. He planted a kiss on her throat, drawing a gasp from her.

"Sasuke…" She whispered.

He trailed the kisses up her throat more frantically, his tongue caressing her throat, tasting her. Her breath came in frantic gasps, making him smirk possessively against her throat. He pulled her closer, feeling her nails digging into his back as he nibbled her skin gently.

"Sasuke…" She gasped. "Please…" Her head angled further away, giving him more access. Everything in Sasuke's mind went blank. All he could think about now was making her scream.

He bit down softly, mindful of his sharp fangs as he sucked on her flesh. She cried out, her hand knotting itself in his hair, pulling him closer. His name was ripped from her lips over and over, making him go insane.

He couldn't do it anymore. He had to taste her. Bite her. Hear her moan as he drank her blood. He opened his mouth and pricked her softly with his fangs. He heard her gasp, and a second later, he realized what he was about to do.

He scrambled away from her as fast as he could. He was a pureblood. He couldn't condemn her to a slow, agonizing transformation into a vampire. He gasped, his fingernails digging into the tree bark as he fought the blood urge.

"S-Sasuke you're…" Sakura's voice trembled.

Sasuke looked at her, still fighting the urge to bite her. "I'm what?" He growled, watching as her green eyes widened at the sight of his red ones.

"A vampire…You're a vampire…" She whispered.

"Yeah." He stated, his voice low and gravelly. "Are you afraid?"

She reached a trembling hand up to her neck, feeling the spot where his lips had been. "Y-You…Did you…Did you bite me?" She squeaked.

"No. You wouldn't be conscious if I did."

"Why didn't you?" She whispered. "You could've…I mean…"

"I'm aware." He stated. "And I didn't bite you because I didn't want to."

She crawled towards him. Sasuke stared at her. Did she want to die?

"Why not?" She breathed, now close enough for him to touch.

"Because if I did..." He trailed off, watching as her finger curiously ran across his lips. His lips parted slightly, and her bright green eyes watched them carefully. He realized at that moment what she wanted to see.

His fangs.

He opened his mouth for her. She curiously touched his fang with her finger, then softly felt the point of it. She pulled away with a gasp and looked at him.

"You're a vampire…" She whispered, her tone making it sound like she had just had an epiphany. "So don't you need blood?"

"Yes." Sasuke stated.

"So why didn't you bite me?"

Sasuke took her hand, the same hand that had touched his fang and still hovered carefully in front of her. "Sakura, some vampires are purebloods. I'm one of them. If I were to bite you, you would transform slowly and painfully into a vampire. I don't want to let that happen to you."

"But what if I wanted to be a vampire?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"No, Sakura." He said firmly. "I will not turn you."

She leaned in and pressed her lips against his again. Sasuke kissed her for a moment then pushed her away.

"You're out of your mind." He whispered.

"Sasuke…" She leaned in again, ghosting her lips across his. "Don't you need blood?"

He shivered, her fingertips caressing his shoulders.

"I won't bite you, Sakura." Sasuke gasped.

"So you won't feed from me?"

"Sakura, you're not serious, are you?"

Sakura pulled away and looked into his eyes. "What if I am?"

"No. I won't bite you."

Sakura sat back. "Then what if I do this…" She reached into her pocket and removed a Swiss army knife. Sasuke swallowed, realizing what she was about to do when she slid the knife out.

"Sakura…" He grabbed her wrist before she could cut it.

She looked at him.

"If you do this…"

"Sasuke, anytime you need it, you can have it." She whispered.

Sasuke slowly released her wrist. "Sakura, I might kill you."

She smiled at him. "I trust you."

"I might not be able to stop."

She merely gave him a weak smile before digging the knife into her wrist. The smell washed over him immediately, drawing a moan from his lips.

"Sasuke…" She held her wrist out. Her fingers trembled slightly.

He took her wrist and wrapped his lips around the wound.

She gasped. "Sasuke…"

She tasted so sweet. He could hear her gasping and moaning as he drank. It had been so long since he had human blood. He drank it down slowly, savouring every drop of the sweet liquid.

Her heart rate began to slow and she fell unconscious. Sasuke flicked his tongue across the wound and licked the blood that had spilled down her arm. He wanted her alive so he could taste her again. Besides, just the feeling of knowing she seemed to want to be with him along with the fact that she didn't fear his true nature was something he found precious.

He smoothed her messy hair from her face and softly kissed her 'overly large' forehead. She was perfect in every way.

"Thank you, Sakura." He whispered, pulling her into his chest. He lay beside her, waiting until she would wake up.

When she did, she smiled at him sweetly and pressed her lips on his.

* * *

><p>"She…let's you feed off her?" I whispered.<p>

Sasuke nodded. "Since then, It's been much easier to control my urges."

"How often, Sasuke?" I asked.

"Human blood is the vampires' natural diet. Feeding from Sakura…" He trailed off slightly, staring off into space. "It sustains me for two weeks. Sometimes more depending on how often I go hunting. The last time was about a week ago."

"Sasuke, are you in love with her?" I asked. I couldn't help but ask. When he talked about her, his eyes glazed over slightly in a way that was extremely un-Sasuke.

"Yes." He stated without hesitation. "I do. I love Sakura." He looked at me, and I could see the honesty in his eyes.

"You don't just use her as a food source, do you?" I frowned.

Sasuke shook his head. "We meet up for different things too. I don't just meet her to feed." He shot me a serious look. "Don't judge me, Tenten. And don't tell Itachi."

"He's bound to notice, Sasuke."

"I know." He murmured. "I'll tell him when I'm ready. I'm just…Not ready yet."

I nodded. "Let's go back to the house, all right?"

"But what about you? Are you all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

I sure hoped I'd be fine.

**A/N: Rejoice, SasuSaku fans. You had your moment. Now don't ask me for another one. Seriously. Just don't do it. I will get mad.**

**I also confess...one of the scenes in this chapter was straight out of Vampire Knight XD. I won't say which one, but if you know which one it was, well done. It's just when I saw the scene, I honestly thought it was cute. It's never left my mind, so now that I'm writing a supernatural fic, hell yes, I'm going to use it XD. I'm ticked off that I didn't come up with it myself, because it's totally genius, but hey. I'm not very good with cutesy stuff. I'm better at comedy.**

**Next chapter is a big one! Here's your preview!**

CHAPTER 6: THE SLAYER'S STRUGGLE – PREVIEW

"What's 'Skillet'?" I asked, changing the subject to the logo on his shirt.

"It's a metal band." He stated. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you're always wearing a shirt that says 'Skillet'."

He smirked. "What can I say? They're my inspiration."

I glanced away slightly, hopefully showing my lack of interest for a fight.

"Don't turn your back on me, vampire."

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. "Tenten." I growled. "My name is Tenten, not 'vampire'."

"I don't care about your name."

"In human society I thought it was polite to tell someone else your name when someone tells you theirs."

The slayer scoffed. "You're posing as a human?"

"I don't feed from them so I thought I would become one." I stated. "Besides, it would be nice to know the name of the slayer who's trying to kill me."

He smirked. "Fine. My name is Neji. I hope you will remember that name when I drive my stake through your chest."


	6. Chapter 6: The Slayer's Struggle

**A/N: So sorry! Usually I post this chapter right in the morning, but I totally forgot. I had a lot on my mind. Better late than never, right?**

**This chapter is dedicated to: Love Is Only a Word, Chii Saino Kuratsu, DarkAnonymous324, Ashurei Aqu Blu, rosesecret02, hollysky, glitterthorn.**

**Thanks for all of your reviews! Enjoy the next chapter!**

Moonlight

Chapter 6: The Slayer's Struggle

The slayer lay in bed, staring at his arm. The mark had faded away until the next wave came, but for all he knew, it was going to happen again at any second.

He sighed and lowered his arm. He had to sleep. Maybe the vampires could help him, but at the same time, he was afraid to trust them.

* * *

><p>I wandered through the city of Konoha. It was the first overcast day in weeks, and I wanted to take advantage of it and actually observe a bit of human behaviour. They only ever came out during the day.<p>

I couldn't believe Sasuke. He was breaking the protocol of the coven by feeding on a human. It didn't matter whether or not it made him feel better, we weren't supposed to feed off humans. But still. It made me wonder. Did Itachi feed off humans? The thought worried me. He says he doesn't, and he said he wouldn't, but if Sasuke broke, and I'm breaking, what is Itachi doing? He's a pureblood too, after all.

And what of Temari and Naruto? How are they holding up?

A chill went down my spine. I had the same chill last time the slayer was near.

I quickly ran into a park and took off at full speed through the forest, trying to get away. My shoed feet slapped into the ground in a very uncomfortable way. What was the purpose of these human contraptions? To protect their feet? Clearly they weren't built for vampires.

Something slammed hard into me from behind. I cried out and tumbled towards the ground. I landed on my feet, but a few feet away the slayer came out of his crouch. Now that it was daytime, I could clearly see his face. I would never call him good looking. In fact, everything about him seemed to contradict itself.

His silver eyes were rock hard, but still the brightest thing on him. His hair was a dark shade of brown and looked almost silky. He wore black clothes, just like the ones he wore before, but I could tell they were different. Even the t-shirt beneath his unzipped sweater held the same logo: 'Skillet'. Everything about him was dark and foreboding. So when you looked at his face and saw the round, boyish features, it made it difficult to understand just what made him tick.

"We meet again, vampire." He stated.

"Slayer." I said softly, trying not to think about the way his blood had tasted.

"You have something of mine." He stated.

"What's that?"

He narrowed his eyes. "My stake."

I scoffed. "Well it's not my fault you dropped it." I growled. "I don't have it."

He continued to stare at me.

"What's 'Skillet'?" I asked, changing the subject to the logo on his shirt.

"It's a metal band." He stated. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you're always wearing a shirt that says 'Skillet'."

He smirked. "What can I say? They're my inspiration."

I glanced away slightly, hopefully showing my lack of interest for a fight.

"Don't turn your back on me, vampire."

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. "Tenten." I growled. "My name is Tenten, not 'vampire'."

"I don't care about your name."

"In human society I thought it was polite to tell someone else your name when someone tells you theirs."

The slayer scoffed. "You're posing as a human?"

"I don't feed from them so I thought I would become one." I stated. "Besides, it would be nice to know the name of the slayer who's trying to kill me."

He smirked. "Fine. My name is Neji. I hope you will remember that name when I drive my stake through your chest."

"You don't have your stake." I reminded in a whisper.

"I can get-" His eyes widened as he gasped and fell to his knees. I saw him clutching his forearm again.

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

He lay on the ground, making horrible choking noises that really frightened me.

"Neji?"

He screamed the most god-awful scream I had heard in my life. I was so startled by it, I backed away from him. I could only watch as he curled up into a ball in his state of distress. I couldn't take it anymore. He may have been my enemy, but he was still a human, and he was in pain.

I ran up to him and pulled him into my lap. He didn't object.

"What's wrong with your arm?" I asked, sliding the sweater off his arm. We both looked down at it. I gasped in shock. The mark was blue and red, consisting of crisscrossing lines coming from two points. I had only seen one of these before, and that was on Naruto's shoulder.

This slayer had been bitten by a pureblood.

I didn't know what any of it meant, but I knew the red lines couldn't be good. It was as if the red was slowly filling over the blue. It was halfway there too.

Neji's cries slowly died down as the red marks faded away. A few more seconds later, and the blue marks disappeared as well.

"You've been bitten." I whispered. "By a pureblood."

"I know." His voices sounded choked. I looked down at him to see tears on his cheeks. "It happened two years ago. I was sixteen."

* * *

><p><em>It happened two years ago. I was sixteen. My father and I got word of a powerful vampire in Konoha. It was killing the citizens.<em>

"Neji, no matter what, stay on your guard." Hizashi, Neji's father, stated.

Neji nodded. "I know."

"The vampire is a pureblood." Hizashi continued. "That's why you have to be careful. If it so much as grazes you with its teeth, you'll turn into a vampire. If you are bitten, Neji, it's my duty as a slayer to protect society. I will have to kill you. I expect you to do the same for me."

Neji nodded. "But we won't get bitten, dad." He didn't want to think of him having to kill his own father, or having to put his father through killing him.

"No. We won't."

Neji and Hizashi were two of the best slayers in Konoha. They were a father and son team, and they had slain many vampires together. Today would be their biggest test.

A chill went down Neji's spine.

"Here it comes."

Neji gripped his stake tighter.

The vampire landed in front of them. It appeared to be a male with wild black hair and blood red eyes.

"Two slayers?" The vampire laughed. "I was hoping for more of a…challenge."

The two slayers stared the vampire down.

The vampire laughed again. "You look alike. Are you father and son?" A wicked grin split across the vampires face. "It will be a pleasure to rip the two of you apart."

"Formation A, Neji." Hizashi whispered softly.

Neji nodded.

The two slayers dashed forward. The vampire laughed at their slow speed and swatted out towards them. Neji dove to the side while Hizashi dive-rolled towards the monster, drilling upwards with his stake just as he came out of it. The vampire leapt into the air to get away from it. Always part of the plan.

Hizashi continued to attack the vampire while Neji slowly crept around the back. Hizashi lunged at the vampire one more time.

"NOW NEJI!"

Neji thrust his stake towards the vampires' back. Just as he made contact, the vampire spun around, and slammed his hand into Neji's head.

Neji cried out and went flying, rolling across the ground and losing his grip on his stake. In his stunned mind, he vaguely heard his father's panicked voice calling his name. He was seeing stars. His mind went black several times before he gasped and rolled over, his vision blurry as he searched for his stake. His eyes widened as a horrible scene came into his vision.

"Dad…" He whispered.

The vampire had captured his father. Its teeth were embedded deep into his neck, and Neji could only watch helplessly as the life drained from his father's face.

"Neji…run…" He barely gasped out.

Neji found his stake at that moment. He knew he couldn't save his father, and now that he was on his own, he couldn't defeat this monster.

He needed help in a big way.

The vampire dropped Hizashi's dead body to the ground and licked his lips.

"You're next, boy."

Neji didn't know whether to run or to stand his ground. He had to do something, but the vampire was far superior to him. There was no time to mourn over the death of his father. He had to keep going for the good of society.

The vampire attacked, making the decision for him. Neji dodged and searched for an opening. He needed to end this quick, or he was done for.

Neji rolled out of the way and continued to fight. He kicked the vampire in the jaw and thrust outwards with his stake. The vampire recovered from the kick faster than anticipated. He grabbed Neji's wrist and threw him to the side.

Neji rolled and kept a grip on his stake, but he was in a vulnerable position. He opened his eyes and saw the vampire leaping towards him, bright red eyes gleaming, fangs bared, aiming for his throat. There wasn't enough time to dodge. In a panic, he brought his arms up in front of his face to defend himself.

Neji screamed as the vampires' fangs sunk deep into his forearm. The vampire leapt away just before Neji could drive the stake through his chest.

The creature laughed maniacally. "I'll see you in a few years, slayer! If you don't die, that is."

Neji stood up. "BASTARD!" he roared, leaping at the vampire.

The vampire laughed and grabbed Neji's forearm, causing it to sear with agonizing pain. Neji cried out and fell to the ground.

"Remember the name of your master, slayer. The pureblood vampire Madara."

Then he was gone, leaving Neji alone on the ground. He rolled over and gasped, rubbing his forearm where a mark was just beginning to spider web outwards from two pinpricks where the vampires fangs had pierced his skin. The mark disappeared, along with the pain.

One thing hit Neji like a ton of bricks. Before he died, his father had stated that if one of them was bitten, they would be killed by the other slayers. Neji had been bitten. He would be killed.

He didn't want to die. He would have to hide the bite and not let anyone see it. But one thing that the vampire had said disturbed him. 'Remember your master'.

Neji rubbed away the blood on his arm with his own spit. It was gross, but if he didn't do it, he would die.

"Neji!"

Neji turned around to see Hiashi, his uncle, running towards him.

"Uncle. It killed my father." Neji whispered. The adrenaline was dying down now, so he began to feel the grief of losing Hizashi.

Hiashi spotted his brother's dead body and nodded sadly. "Did it bite you, Neji?"

"No." Neji lied. "But unfortunately it got away. My father managed to wound it before he died. It disappeared before I could finish it off."

Hiashi nodded. "Go back to the house. You had a long day."

* * *

><p>My eyes were tearing up at the heartbreaking story.<p>

"I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"I don't think I have much longer." Neji whispered.

"We're not bad vampires you know." I stated.

Neji looked at me. "We?"

"Myself and my coven." I told him. "We try not to feed off of humans."

"Try?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You broke my willpower during our last meeting, Neji."

Neji stared at me.

"I almost bit you. And if I did, I never would've forgiven myself."

"Why didn't you then?" He asked.

"Because you…The mark I guess started hurting you and you ran away."

"It was my intention to have you bite me. When you did, I would've staked you." Neji stated. He sat up, pushing himself off my lap. He pulled his sweater over his arms again, covering up a little of his 'Skillet' t-shirt.

"Neji."

He looked at me.

I met his gaze seriously. "If you ever need help, I'm in the old building in the suburbs. My coven and I are staying there. Please don't kill us."

"I can't kill you without my stake." Neji sighed.

"If I give it back to you, will you promise not to hurt us?"

Neji sighed. "I guess…as long as you don't hurt anybody. Feeding off humans I mean."

"Make Sasuke an exception."

"What?" He looked at me in surprise.

"He has a donor." I stated with a shrug. "Someone who's willingly giving him blood."

"Are you sure it's willingly?"

"Yes." I stated, narrowing my eyes. "No matter how hard I try I can't influence anybody."

"If your coven doesn't feed of humans, then why is this Sasuke an exception?" Neji asked.

"Sasuke…grew up badly. He ran with a very evil vampire for a little while. He became addicted to human blood. Since he joined our coven, he's been struggling to stay with the diet. He's been able to manage his addiction since he got the donor. I've seen changes in his moods too." I paused. "They're all really great, Neji."

Neji stood up. "I've got to get home."

I nodded. "I'll…see you I guess."

Neji nodded once before dashing away. That explained the speed. It was the bite. He was already transforming.

I breathed a shuddering sigh. I saw a consistency between both Neji and Sasuke's stories. They both encountered a pureblood vampire by the name of Madara. I didn't want to tell Neji the name of the vampire Sasuke ran with, out of fear that Neji would turn on Sasuke.

Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him.

**A/N: Another chapter I find just perfect. I love the idea of Neji the vampire slayer. He makes a good slayer, no? Well, yeah we haven't seen him kill a vampire, but trust me: He's one of the best. Why wouldn't he be? It's Neji for crying out loud! XD**

**So we're approaching the climax right about now. So tell me: How the heck am I doing with this supernatural fic? I'm still not sure, as this is a new genre I'm exploring. I think I'm doing okay, but I know there are better ones out there. Judging by your reviews, you guys are really enjoying it, but I'm sure that some people make the supernatural traits more in depth. Me? I'm just going for character. I like creating characters. That in my opinion, is the best part :).**

**I couldn't decide on a place to take the preview from. So no preview this time...Just look forward to the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7: Breakdown

**A/N: Another chapter out! My internet actually kicked out a couple of days ago (hey, I hacked into someone elses wireless router via my laptop. It's their fault for not having a password, and it's my fault for relying on it so much) so I acutally had to walk half an hour to the library just to post this chapter. My feet hurt and apparently I have 104 minutes remaining on my sesson. 103 now.**

**This chapter is dedicated to: Ashurei Aqu Blu, Love Is Only a Word, hollysky, DarkAnonymous324, chumble, glitterthorn, Dokuritsu17, Chii Saino Kuratsu, AnimeCrazed121**

**Thanks so much for all of your reviews! :D**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

Moonlight

Chapter 7: Breakdown

It had been a week since Neji had last seen the vampire. Tenten was her name. He hadn't had another attack from his bite yet, but he knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time.

And this time, he could feel it. Once it started, there would be no turning back. It would burn until he transformed into a vampire.

His nerves began to take a beating. He was constantly paranoid. He would wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, thinking his mark was finally burning red.

Hiashi seemed to notice his growing paranoia. He addressed it while they were eating at the dinner table.

"Neji, have you been feeling all right lately?" Hiashi asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Neji stated. He shoved a mouthful of vegetables in his mouth. As he chewed him, one terrifying thought rushed through his mind.

These taste _terrible_. And no, it wasn't just because they were vegetables either. They tasted like dirt to him, and they didn't used to taste like that. He was becoming a vampire, and without a doubt, he was going through the final stages of the transformation.

Sure enough, a second later, his mark began to burn.

"I've got to go." Neji stated, leaping up from the table and running upstairs. He stumbled down the hallway, his vision blurring from the searing pain in his arm. He slammed his bedroom door shut and flicked on the light. He looked into the mirror over his desk to see a boy with wide, frightened silver eyes staring back at him.

Pain flared through his arm again, making him cringe. He gasped and slid his sweater off to look at the mark. The red was moving again. The pain began to spread as the red began burning its way into new areas of the mark. Neji cried out in pain and stumbled towards the desk. He fell into his desk chair, breathing heavily. He looked back at the mirror and watched in horror as his silver eyes shifted to blood red.

He looked at his arm to see the marks were now three quarters of the way up. They were slowing down, but the pain was getting worse instead of better like it usually did.

His bedroom door flew open and Hiashi walked in.

"No! No! Go!" Neji cried, curling into ball, hiding the mark.

"What's with you, Neji?" Hiashi asked. "Enough of this. Come back down and eat your dinner." He grabbed Neji's wrist and pulled him off the chair. Neji cried out and felt Hiashi stiffen.

"You _were_ bitten…" Hiashi whispered.

Neji shoved Hiashi towards the door and slammed it shut again, sliding his dresser over it so it wouldn't open. Shaking from fear and pain, Neji grabbed his old sports bag from under his bed and pulled as many clothes as he could from his dresser and threw a few personal treasures from his childhood in for good measure. He ran to the window and shoved it open, throwing the bag out and leaping out after it.

The pain was getting worse. It felt like fire searing through his body. His head spun as he ran down the street. He had to find Tenten. He had to get to the house. The slayers would be after him, and he wasn't ready to die.

It would taste a lie to say that I didn't think of Neji at all. In fact, he was the only thing on my mind. So it was only a twist of fate that the only time I wasn't thinking about him that he would appear suddenly and inexplicably.

There was a loud knock at the door and Itachi went to answer it. I followed him, having a strange sense that it was important.

The second the door opened, Neji collapsed on the doorstep.

I ran forward and dragged him into the house. "Itachi help me."

"Who is this?" Itachi asked.

"This is the slayer I told you about. He's been bitten. Please help me."

Neji screamed in agony. His cry was worse than it was last time.

Itachi picked him up and carried him upstairs to my bedroom. When he set him down, he examined the mark.

"Holy crap, he's close too."

Neji screamed again. He grabbed Itachi's wrist and looked at him with wild eyes.

"Please... if you can stop it…" He whispered.

Itachi shook his head. "It can't be stopped. It can only be countered. Either way, you're going to become a vampire unless you would rather die."

I sat up on the bed with him and pulled his head into my lap. He was a sad sight to behold with all of that pain on his features.

"What's the counter thing, Itachi?" I asked.

"It's when someone else turns him." Itachi stated. "The same way I turned you."

I nodded.

Neji gave a choking sob, clutching his forearm so tight, his fingernails were drawing blood. I could smell the sweet scent, but I was too worried about Neji to care.

"What happens if it's not countered?" Neji gasped.

"Then the mark will run its course, and you'll become a servant to the pureblood vampire who bit you."

"What does that mean?" Tenten asked.

"It means you'll seek them out, and you'll never be able to leave their side."

Neji seemed horrified.

"Do you know who bit you?" Itachi asked.

"He said his name was…Madara."

Itachi hissed and stood up. "No way. Screw morals, Tenten. If he chooses to let the bite run its course, I'll kill him right here."

"Itachi, don't." I cried, pulling him to my chest protectively.

"Madara's my uncle. He destroyed my clan. Sasuke too."

I nodded slowly.

"I don't want to be a servant to that bastard…" Neji hissed. "He killed my father…"

"Tenten, you know what to do." Itachi stated.

"M-Me?" I gasped. "But I…I can't…Itachi, why can't you do it?"

"I refuse to turn another human."

"I'm scared…" I whispered.

"Tenten…"

I looked down at Neji. His silver eyes were glazed over with pain.

"I would rather you turned me anyway." He whispered.

I heard Itachi leave the room. I wanted to call out for him, needing the support. I was so scared.

"Neji…I…I'll have to bite you…" I whispered. "And I'm so scared I'm not going to be able to stop… I've never… Not from a human…"

Neji cried out. "Tenten…please…I don't want to turn this way…"

I wiped the tears off my cheeks and nodded. "Okay." But the uncertainty was still there.

Neji understood her fear. She had almost lost it that first time they met. He had pushed his luck, smearing her face with his blood so she would go crazy and bite him.

Now she was going to do it. He felt her lips on her throat. Neji didn't struggle, he didn't fight. He could feel her trembling slightly.

"Neji I can't…" She gasped, drawing away.

"You have to." Neji stated. "I don't want to change like this. It hurts, Tenten."

"I'm scared!"

Neji felt around in his back pocket. Thank goodness he carried a switchblade since he lost his stake.

"Neji…don't…" Tenten's voice trembled.

"I will, Tenten. I will unless you help me. I don't want to die, and I don't want to end up a servant to that bastard. So please, turn me."

Tenten snatched the switchblade from his hand and threw it at the wall. Neji saw it jam itself point first in the wooden wall. It was quite impressive.

Time for plan B. Though he was already in enough pain, he bit down on his lip hard. He smiled internally, feeling the blood flowing freely. It was his last chance.

"Tenten, if you won't do it, then kill me."

"No!" Tenten cried. "I won't!"

"Then turn me!"

"I'm afraid!"

"Look at me!" Neji grabbed her face and forced it to turn towards him. "I'm scared out of my fucking mind right now. I'm turning into a vampire and my entire family is after me! You think you're scared of losing yourself if you bite me? I'm losing my _humanity_ here. So don't yap at me about being scared!"

Tenten trembled.

Neji bit his lip again, feeling more blood flowing into his mouth. "Tenten, I trust you. Please, do it for me."

Tenten closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Neji growled in fury and pressed his lips against hers. She tried to pull away when she realized what he had done. Neji held her there, making her taste his blood.

Pain flared through his entire body again. Neji leapt back and screamed. It was the worst wave of pain he had felt yet. He looked at his arm to see the red had almost filled the mark.

"Tenten, please." He begged. "Don't make me become a servant to the monster who killed my father." He pulled her head down to his neck, fighting the agony of the transformation.

Next thing he knew, he was gone.

Neji went limp in my arms. His face was still creased with pure agony, but he wasn't moving.

It was now or never. I had to respect Neji's wish. He had dared to make me taste his blood, so I knew he was serious. It was just as sweet as I remembered it to be.

I leaned down and sunk my fangs into his throat. The hot blood spilled into my mouth, sending shivers down my spine. It tasted so good, felt so good. It shamed me to even think such things as I drained him almost to the point where he had no blood in his body.

I pulled away and bit my wrist, pressing it to his mouth so the blood flowed down his throat. He coughed a few times, but then was silent. I pulled him to my chest, sobbing. Neji didn't deserve this. But at least this way was better than the pureblood transformation. I looked down at his arm to see the red had stopped moving. There was just a tiny bit of blue left, but it was enough to let me know that if Neji woke up, I had succeeded.

I still felt horrible for enjoying every drop of his blood.

His face was relaxed now. He didn't look like he was in any pain. Now that I could see him in this serene state, I could see just how good he looked. His boyish features looked better while he slept relaxed like this. I knew that when humans transformed into vampires, their appearances changed. They became more beautiful. I know I did, so I was waiting to see just what Neji would look like after he transformed.

I had an odd feeling the result would be stunning.

**A/N: Yeah I'll bet you guys saw that coming. But in my defence, I'll bet you never would've expected Neji Hyuuga the slayer to have been bitten by a pureblood. You may have guessed from the foreshadowing, (I DID make it a little bit obvious) but I've never read a story where the vampire slayer goes vampire. Except **_**Vampire Knight**_**.**

CHAPTER 8: REBORN – PREVIEW

"Sasuke, you made a pact when you joined this coven!"

It was Itachi. His voice sounded angry and betrayed all mixed into one.

"I'm aware, Itachi!" Sasuke's voice yelled back. "I've been trying my best!"

"You've given up!"

Neji and I looked around the corner into the kitchen. Temari and Naruto were backed fearfully against the far wall, watching the two brothers fight with worried looks on their faces.

"I have not, Itachi!" Sasuke stated. "I've gotten better! Even you have to say that." Sasuke looked like he was almost in tears.

Itachi whipped around and started tugging on his hair, pacing to the kitchen counter and back to the table.

"Sasuke, this coven doesn't feed on humans." Itachi said sharply.

"I know, Itachi! But it was the way I was raised! I'm-"

"That's no excuse, Sasuke!"

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!"


	8. Chapter 8: Reborn

**A/N: I'm stuck at the library again, so I'll just make this quick.**

**This chapter is dedicated to: Chii Saino Kuratsu, Love Is Only a Word, chumble, DarkAnonymous324, Glitterthorn, Ashurei Aqu Blu, AnimeCrazed121, SammiKee**

**I'm glad to have gotten out another chapter! Please enjoy!**

Moonlight

Chapter 8: Reborn

I wouldn't leave Neji's side. If I remembered correctly, while I transformed, Itachi had stayed beside me the entire time, so when I woke up, he was the first person I saw from my weary vampire eyes. I wanted to do the same for Neji. I felt I owed him that much.

I smoothed his dark brown hair from his face as he slept. His skin was going pale, so I fretted over the fact that I may have killed him. But when I pressed my fingers to his throat, feeling for a pulse, just faintly I felt it. His heartbeats were few and far between as he lay in a state of near death. His skin was cool to the touch, a side effect I assumed of becoming a vampire.

The day I woke up after my transformation, Itachi told me I had been asleep for three days. I assumed it would be the same amount of time for Neji to transform. Though it probably did take three days, even the first day was eventful when it came to changes.

Imperfections started disappearing from his skin. He was human, so he had the odd pimple and open pore here and there, but those smoothed over even as I was watching. Over the course of an hour, I watched with fascination as what I figured was a small, penny-sized birthmark just behind his ear slowly became lighter and lighter before fading from existence.

I slid my thumb across his cheek, feeling the smooth skin beneath it. His eyelids trembled slightly at the touch, which made me think he was waking up.

But he didn't.

* * *

><p>When I woke up the next morning, Neji was still fast asleep. He made no movements, aside from the occasional random twitch. Each twitch made me smile because it pretty much told me he was still alive. For me, that was a huge accomplishment. He was freaking <em>alive<em>. I hadn't killed him.

Over the course of that day, I watched his facial features change. His boyish features sharpened significantly, and I swear he grew a little bit. His hair took on a more silky appearance. When I ran my fingers through it again, I was stunned to realize that it felt silkier than it looked.

I chuckled to myself. Vampires were insane. Appearance wise, they were perfect. Then you got close to them and they were instantly overwhelming. I sighed. No human could ever resist us. That was why we were such good predators. Even so, that was another reason to add to the list of 'excuses to not feed on humans'. It was so easy for us to lead them down the wrong path.

My heart skipped a beat when I thought of Sasuke. His donor, what was her name again? What if she wasn't doing it of her own free will and Sasuke was conning her into it? I bit my lip. It was so debatable. I still remembered the look in his eyes when he talked about her, so I had a feeling he wouldn't force her into anything she didn't want to do, but at the same time, I wasn't sure.

* * *

><p>On the third day, I heard Neji murmuring in his sleep. At first, I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying, but there was the occasional word I heard amidst the foggy murmurs.<p>

I heard him say 'dad' more times than I can count. I heard the word 'Skillet' at least once, which made me smirk. There was the occasional 'vampire' and about as often as he said 'dad', I heard him murmur 'I'm scared'.

From the most common words he said, I made out that he was worried about what was going to happen to him. I have no idea where 'Skillet' fit into the whole thing, but I assumed it was just the murmurs of a boy losing his humanity, mumbling the things he wished he could've done.

* * *

><p>Neji's eyes snapped open suddenly and abruptly. He had been floating in limbo in a dreamlike state for the last…how long had it been? It was relatively peaceful, and he didn't feel any pain. At first he did, but then it just faded away.<p>

A pair of brown eyes stared back at him with surprise.

"Neji! You're awake!" A voice stated. It took him a second to realize the person leaning over him had spoke, and that it was a female. Then he remembered her. It was Tenten.

"Tenten?" He whispered, squinting slightly. It was as if someone had cranked the high definition on his eyes. He could see everything in bright, bright colours, even if there was little to no light whatsoever. He rubbed them roughly, trying to smooth everything out again.

"How are you feeling?" Tenten asked.

"I…I don't know." Neji stated, opening his eyes again. He gave an irritated scoff at the same bright colours. "There's so much colour…" He whispered.

"Yeah, I know. It'll take some time to get used to it."

"I can see the dust floating through the air." Neji stated. "How could I get used to that?"

"I did."

Neji looked at her with surprise. "You were turned too?"

Tenten nodded. "A long time ago."

"What happened?"

Tenten shook her head. "That's a story for another time, all right? For now, I'm worried about you. How are you feeling?"

Neji sat up slowly, stunned by how smoothly he could move. He never realized how stiff he had been moving as a human. It always seemed so perfect and smooth, no arthritis at all. He was young still, so that didn't really surprise him. It was like a huge wakeup call now. He could move freely. He didn't want to risk it, but he had a feeling that even if he stressed his joints by doing something crazy, like bending over backwards, he wouldn't feel a thing.

"It's amazing, huh?" Tenten asked.

"What?" Neji asked.

"I remember when I woke up and first started moving. I was stunned by how free I felt. You could do a back flip right now if you really wanted to."

"Why is that?"

Tenten smiled. "Well, I'm sure you already know. You're a vampire now. You're immortal. Physically, you're stronger, faster, anything you can pretty much think of. I don't know why we are the way we are, I just know that's the way it is." Tenten grinned. "Heads up," she threw a punch in his direction.

Neji moved fast, his hand snapping up to catch her fist just before it made contact with his cheek. He stared at his hand with wide eyes. It was unbelievable.

Neji released her hand and stared down at his palm. It trembled slightly as he stared at it.

Tenten put her arm around his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Neji."

Neji lowered his hand and stared at his knees. "I'm a slayer, Tenten." He whispered. "I'm a vampire slayer."

"I know."

"Now I'm a vampire." His voice trembled. "I'm the enemy that I dedicated my life to eradicate. My family is probably after me, and I…I don't know what to do anymore."

Tenten rubbed his back comfortingly.

"I'm so afraid, Tenten." He whispered.

"I know." She sighed. "But it'll be okay. I promise."

Neji nodded slowly, feeling like he was dirt. He was a vampire. A monster. He chuckled to himself as a Skillet song began playing through his mind.

_I feel it deep within, It's just beneath the skin, I must confess that I feel like a monster._

"Come downstairs, Neji. I'm sure everyone wants to meet you."

Neji looked up at her. "Everyone?"

"My coven. Our coven."

Neji shuddered slightly at the idea of having a coven.

"It's where you belong now." Tenten said softly. "Trust me. Come meet them."

Neji nodded slowly and stood up.

* * *

><p>I lead him down the stairs of the old house. One thing I realized as we walked was that Neji was now a head and a half taller than me. His transformation had made him grow, so now he cleared six feet tall easily.<p>

As we neared where the kitchen was, the sound of shouting met her ears.

"Sasuke, you made a pact when you joined this coven!"

It was Itachi. His voice sounded angry and betrayed all mixed into one.

"I'm aware, Itachi!" Sasuke's voice yelled back. "I've been trying my best!"

"You've given up!"

Neji and I looked around the corner into the kitchen. Temari and Naruto were backed fearfully against the far wall, watching the two brothers fight with worried looks on their faces.

"I have not, Itachi!" Sasuke stated. "I've gotten better! Even you have to say that." Sasuke looked like he was almost in tears.

Itachi whipped around and started tugging on his hair, pacing to the kitchen counter and back to the table.

"Sasuke, this coven doesn't feed on humans." Itachi said sharply.

"I know, Itachi! But it was the way I was raised! I'm-"

"That's no excuse, Sasuke!"

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!"

Neji and I flinched backwards. I had never seen Sasuke shout like that before. Even Itachi was taken aback.

Sasuke took a few deep breaths to steady his temper. "I spent a hundred years with that creep Madara. Over that time I adopted his ways just so I could stay in a coven. I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time.

"When I finally found my conscience again, I left and tried to cut back, but it was just so hard. I was addicted, and I know you know it too. The only thing that kept going through my mind was kill, kill, kill. I joined this coven so I could have that support again, hoping that maybe I would change again. But even with the animal blood I got, it was just so hard." He sighed. "And then I found Sakura."

My breath hitched. He was telling him. I was so proud of Sasuke for it.

"Itachi, I'm not lying when I said that she willingly gave me blood. When she found out I was a vampire, she accepted it faster than any human should've and offered herself to me." His voice trembled. "I refused to bite her. I still haven't bitten her."

"But you feed off her." Itachi stated, his voice sharp.

Sasuke nodded. "It's been just enough to help me get through a couple weeks. And it's working, Itachi. I don't feel like I need to kill all the time now. I'm hoping that soon, I won't need to feed off her to stay sane."

"You don't have any regrets at all, do you?"

"Itachi, I love her." Sasuke glared at his brother. "Every time I feed off her I feel like a piece of trash because my willpower broke again."

"Sasuke, you've been going without for ten years! Why is it so different now?"

"Because she willingly gave it to me!" Sasuke cried.

"It shouldn't matter, Sasuke!"

"I KNOW IT SHOULDN'T!" Sasuke cried. "But it does. I kept refusing her at first, but she kept insisting. I am a vampire. I drink blood. She wants to give it to me. After awhile it stopped mattering so much."

"How often?"

"Now?" Sasuke asked. "I couldn't say. It hasn't been long enough. But last time was two weeks ago, and I've never felt better."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"About two months now." Sasuke said softly.

"So you just meet up with this girl to drink her blood, is that what I'm hearing?"

Sasuke shook his head violently. "No. I meet up with her at least three times a week. Sometimes more."

Itachi sighed irritably. "Sasuke, you know I don't approve of this."

"Itachi I swear it, I don't look at her like she's food."

"I never said that." Itachi stated. "You kept this from me for two months. You broke the pact you made to me when you joined this coven. You _betrayed us all_."

"And you let me join, knowing full well how much trouble I would have sticking to your diet." Sasuke stated. "And I kept it from you because I was afraid of what would happen if I told you. But at the same time, I knew I was betraying the coven. I knew it. That's why I wanted to tell you what I was doing. I wanted you to know, and that's part of the reason I kept it hidden for so long. I was looking for the best way to tell you. I didn't want you finding out on your own, because I knew it would make it worse."

Itachi sighed, his shoulders slumping as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I've never killed anyone, Itachi." Sasuke said, sitting down in a chair.

Itachi suddenly seemed to clue into Neji and me standing by the doorway. He turned towards us, his eyes widening slightly. I felt Neji shrink back a little bit.

"Tenten." He said, his tone laced with surprise.

The rest of the coven turned to look, as if searching for the new face. I assumed Itachi told them about Neji.

"Guys, please." Tenten said calmly. "He's afraid. Don't pressure him."

"What does he have to be afraid of?" Temari grinned. "We don't bite."

The whole room burst out laughing. Naruto was rolling around on the ground, kicking and screaming. Sasuke's head had hit the table and he was laughing harder than I had seen him laugh before. Itachi was leaning on the kitchen counter for support, while holding a hand to his head as he laughed. Temari, though she had made the joke in the first place, was leaning against the wall laughing along with everyone else.

I leaned against the doorframe, holding my laughter back as I chuckled along to the joke. I looked over my shoulder and Neji to see him shaking slightly. Everything about him still struck me as nervous. I put a comforting hand on his shoulder, which was slightly difficult seeing as he was a lot taller than I was now.

He looked at me, raising his head and meeting my gaze with sharp silver eyes. His transformation had made those prettier too. I could faintly see a hint of lilac mixed in with the moonlight silver.

"It's all right. They were just making a joke." I reassured.

He gave me a weak smile.

I sighed and turned towards my still laughing coven.

"Well done, Temari! You made him even more nervous!" I put my hands on my hips and gave her my killer scowl.

"Oh sorry!" Temari laughed. "I didn't think it would come and bite me in the ass!"

The room burst out laughing again.

I sighed irritably. "Come on, Neji. Let's go for a walk." I grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the front door.

"W-Wait, what?" Neji scrambled after me. "Where are we going?"

"Just for a walk. I think you need to get used to this new world before you meet the coven. Let me know when you think you're ready, all right?"

Neji nodded slowly, allowing me to pull him out the front door.

"I'm not wearing shoes." Neji stated.

"It's fine, Neji. We run around in bare feet all the time. Besides, we're going into the forest, and our feet have better grip than the shoes do." I told him.

"I find that hard to believe."

We took a few steps into the forest, and I let go of his wrist. "Just follow me, all right?" I leapt into the trees.

Neji stared after me for a moment. "I…Can I do that?"

"Yes." I told him from the tree. "You were able to do it when you were human too, remember?"

Neji seemed to think about this for a moment. "Yeah. But…That was from the bite. As it got bigger, I started getting more superhuman abilities."

"You still have them, Neji. In fact, they're probably better." I smiled. "Give it a try! Jump into the tree!"

Neji looked up again before crouching and leaping straight up. He landed on the branch and wobbled slightly. I grabbed his arm to help steady him.

"Wow. That felt better than when I could do it as a human." Neji stated.

"Run with me, Neji." I said with a grin, leaping to the next tree. Neji followed me, slowly getting used to the idea of jumping and running really fast.

"It feels like I'm flying." Neji whispered softly.

"Doesn't it?" I asked, a grin splitting my face.

Neji continued to follow her, his face impassive, and almost serene. He looked angelic to put it into simple terms. I wondered what was going through his mind as we leapt through the trees. I wondered if he was okay with being the way he was now.

**A/N: So yeah Temari's pun was kind of lame. Probably very cliché, but hey. I loves me puns. They're such witty jokes! Some people hate puns, but I LOVE them. I kill myself laughing whenever I hear a good one. If you think you have one, go ahead and leave it in your review! I'd love to hear them.**

**And now I have to ask…What is society coming to? As I sat at this computer and edited this chapter, there was a kid beside me not even ten years old. I repeat: not even ten years old. Probably no more than eight years. He was playing an online game about shooting Zombies and saying "Oh my nipples and pie" every three seconds. Then what I assume to be his sister came over and smacked him around a little bit because he was doing something stupid and guess what he did? He started firing off F-BOMBS. I am NOT kidding you. This little kid was cussing like a sailor. It was RIDICULOUS! **

**So now I ask: What is society coming to? Why are kids watching shows like Family Guy and South Park? What are parent's DOING? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one.**

**Here's your preview!**

CHAPTER 9: THE WAY WE ARE – PREVIEW

Tenten stared up at the man. "Hey mister?"

The man looked at her.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Itachi." He said with a warm smile. "What's yours?"

"Tenten."

"That's a lovely name."

"You think so?" Tenten grinned. "I like it too. Mama says I'm her little angel."

"TENTEN!"

Tenten looked towards the voice. "Mama!" She cried, leaping off Itachi's lap and running towards her.

Her mother embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, Tenten…Please don't run away like that again!"

"Mama! Mama! Meet Itachi! He helped me! See…?" He was gone. Tenten looked down at the jacket that was clenched in her fist. It was the only thing that told her he had really been there.


	9. Chapter 9: The Way We Are

**A/N: You guessed it. Back at the library. Three weeks in a row. If I hadn't forced myself to update this particular story every Wednesday, the updates would be all over the place. Because it seems that every Wednesday, I fight with my folks -_- I'm getting too old to live with my mom. Frankly, she's as sick of me as I am of her. Let's see…One year of High School left, then the victory lap, then University. Hopefully I can live in residence somewhere.**

**Anyway! Sorry for unloading that onto you!**

**This chapter is dedicated to: Glitterthorn, Love Is Only a Word, Ashurei Aqu Blu, DarkAnonymous324, Dokuritsu17, AnimeCrazed121, AnimeLoverHaruka, hollysky, SammiKee.**

Moonlight

Chapter 9: The Way We Are

Neji stared out at the smooth, glassy lake. He remembered this place clearly. This was where he had first met Tenten. This was where he had taunted her, smeared her face with his blood. He now knew what that experience had made her feel, and he felt horrible for it.

Regardless of what he had put her through, Tenten sat beside him. After their run through the trees, Neji had some time to contemplate what had happened. He was a vampire now. He knew that much. At first, he was unsure and frightened by the concept. He had always thought of vampires as monsters. When he found out he was going to turn into one, he was terrified. Would he lose his humanity? Would he have an endless thirst for blood?

But now, as he sat staring out at the lake, he realized something. He didn't feel any different, and yet, everything was different. He felt stronger and more alive than he had ever felt before. Leaping through the trees, he felt free as a bird. He felt as if he could go anywhere, do anything he wanted and nothing would ever stop him.

But one question remained in his mind.

Where was that urge for blood?

"Tenten. I need to you tell me more about being a vampire." Neji stated.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"When I found out I was turning into a vampire, I was afraid of losing myself. Losing my humanity. What would I become when I transformed? I had grown up thinking vampires were bloodthirsty monsters who thought of nothing but killing." He sighed. "Why don't I feel that way? Why do I feel just as human as I did before?"

"I don't know, Neji." Tenten stated. "I was surprised too. I asked Itachi that as well. The only answer he had was 'I suppose humans and vampires are more alike than people like to assume'."

"Hm." Neji looked at the ground. "Why don't I feel like I need to kill?"

"I think that's just a survival instinct, Neji." Tenten said softly. "Vampires need to eat, and so do humans. Something like blood can't be bought in a grocery store. It's not readily available like human food is. So I'm sure humans don't feel that instinct as often as they used to."

"So…the urge to kill is the urge to survive?" Neji asked.

"Yeah. Something like that I think."

Neji looked up at the sky and sighed. "Do we really have to kill?"

"Neji, when did you ever feel bad for the cow when you ate a steak?"

Neji froze. She had a point, and a really good one at that.

"It's part of the natural world." Tenten sighed. "If you want to live, you kill. Kill or be killed. Humans are lucky society advanced enough that most of them didn't have to kill in order to survive. Someone does it for them, and they just buy the result. Vampires can't do that, so we have to do our own killing."

Neji nodded slowly.

"But at the same time…" Tenten whispered. "I think there is a bit of that…_monster_ that you mentioned in every vampire."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't lie, Neji." She sighed. "After I got a taste of your blood that first time, I wanted more. It drove me insane. So I won't deny that there may be times when you'll have this need for blood."

"So you wouldn't call that a survival instinct?"

Tenten shook her head slowly. "No. I don't know what I would call that."

Neji nodded slowly.

"Neji, let me tell you this though. If you ever get thirsty, tell me. I'll show you how to hunt."

"Hunt?" He looked at her with wide eyes.

"Don't worry. We only hunt animals. No humans."

Neji bit his lip.

"I know you're afraid, Neji. But if you don't get blood, it's just going to get worse and worse, and you could hurt someone."

Neji nodded slowly. He tried to think of another question to ask. Maybe there was another way vampires could get food that didn't require killing. He thought of what Tenten said about a member of the coven having a donor. He quickly shook the thought away. That was still feeding off a human, regardless of whether it was of the humans free will or not.

Then something else hit him. Something so obvious, he didn't understand why he didn't think of it before.

"Tenten, what if a vampire feeds off another vampire?"

Tenten looked up slightly in surprise. Neji could almost hear the wheels turning in her head.

"I don't know, Neji." Tenten stated. "I'll have to ask Itachi."

"Is this Itachi smart?" Neji asked. "You seem to talk about him a lot."

"Itachi was the vampire who turned me." Tenten stated. "And yes, he is smart. He's the oldest vampire in the coven. I think he's over a thousand years old."

"Whoa." Neji was stunned.

"He's a pureblood too."

Neji flinched. Purebloods…

"So he knows a lot about vampires."

"You were turned by a pureblood?" Neji questioned.

Tenten nodded. "He refused to bite me though."

Neji looked at the ground. "Why did you let him turn you?"

"Because I hated my life."

Neji looked at her in shock.

"I grew up in the early 1900's."

* * *

><p><em>I grew up in the early 1900's. Those were the years before women's rights movements began. I first met Itachi when I was six. My father had just beaten me and I had run from the house.<em>

Tenten ran, tripping over her skirts as she ran barefoot through the rain. She was in pain, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

"Ah!" Tenten cried out as she tripped and fell on her face. The rain continued to pour onto her body as she shivered on the ground.

She gasped and looked up as a shadow fell across her form. A tall man with black hair and warm, dark eyes stared down at her. He kneeled down in front of her, concern creasing his face.

"What happened?" He said in a soft undertone.

"M-My papa hurt me…" Tenten whispered.

The man lifted her off the ground and carried her gently. Tenten didn't know who this man was, but she felt like she could trust him. The man sat down on a bench and pulled his jacket off, wrapping it around her shivering form.

"Did you do something wrong?" He asked.

"I-I don't know." Tenten squeaked. "H-He just called me 'useless' and he hurt me."

"Are you useless?" The man asked calmly.

"No…I help mama out all the time with the sewing. But I accidently messed up with a button, and papa beat me for it."

The man sighed. "People these days…"

Tenten stared up at the man. "Hey mister?"

The man looked at her.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Itachi." He said with a warm smile. "What's yours?"

"Tenten."

"That's a lovely name."

"You think so?" Tenten grinned. "I like it too. Mama says I'm her little angel."

"TENTEN!"

Tenten looked towards the voice. "Mama!" She cried, leaping off Itachi's lap and running towards her.

Her mother embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, Tenten…Please don't run away like that again!"

"Mama! Mama! Meet Itachi! He helped me! See…?" He was gone. Tenten looked down at the jacket that was clenched in her fist. It was the only thing that told her he had really been there.

"Where did you get this?" Tenten's mother sighed, prying the jacket from her hand.

"It was Itachi's." Tenten said innocently. "He gave it to me because I was cold."

"Who's Itachi?"

"The man who saved me."

Her mother sighed. "Come along, dear."

"Mama, can I keep the jacket?"

"Yes, just keep it out of your father's way."

* * *

><p>Tenten never forgot about Itachi. She kept his jacket in her bedroom. Even now, seven years later, Tenten could hold it to her face, and smell Itachi on it. She remembered his face clearly, though it had been a long time since she'd seen him.<p>

"TENTEN! I want my dinner!" A furious voice cried.

Tenten sighed. Her father was so demanding. Ever since her mother died three years ago, she'd had more responsibility on her plate. She was only thirteen, but she felt like she was married to her own father.

Tenten went downstairs and started preparing the meal. She worked hard, cooking and cleaning every single day. She didn't want to cook for her father anymore. She wanted to marry as soon as possible and cook for someone else.

Unfortunately, her father didn't seem to want that for her. He wanted her to stay and cook for him until the day she died. Luckily the mind numbing task of cooking kept her mind off all of these things.

Tenten placed her father's meal on the table.

"Dinner's ready." She called into the house.

She heard her father get up and shuffle into the kitchen. Tenten began scrubbing the countertops and whatever else she could to keep her mind off her growling stomach. She was hungry, but the rule was the father ate first. At least that was the way it was in this house.

"The steak is bland."

"I'm sorry, father." Tenten stated. "But we're all out of spices at the moment."

"Can't you do anything right?" She heard the chair grind across the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Tenten cried, turning around.

_Smack!_

Tenten yelped and staggered backwards. "Father please!" She cried. He struck her again, this time causing her to fall to the floor.

"Why do you think I keep you in this house?"

"So I can look after it…" Tenten whimpered, curling into a ball on the floor.

"You useless girl!" He kicked her sharply and continued to do so.

"STOP PLEASE!"

He didn't stop until she was nothing but a sobbing human form with no strength left.

"I'll forgive your mistake this time. Better hope it doesn't happen again."

Tenten suppressed her sobs and lay where she was for a few more moments.

"Get up, you stupid girl, or I'll hit you again."

Tenten gasped and stood up slowly, staggering and using the counter to support her weight.

"Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard. Enough of this."

Tenten tried to hide the pain she was in as she turned around and continued cleaning as if nothing had happened.

When her father finally finished eating and went to bed, Tenten washed up his dishes, slid on her shoes and left the house. She ran, sobbing and crying down the street in the dead of night. The moon cast its silver glow over everything, but that was the only light.

She slammed into something, making her cry out and fall to the ground, still sobbing with uncontrollable tears.

"What happened?"

Tenten froze. That voice. It couldn't be.

She slowly lifted her head, looking towards the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened in shock. It was him. It was Itachi. He hadn't changed a bit. He still looked the same as he did back then.

"You…" Tenten whispered. "It's you again…"

Itachi frowned slightly, kneeling down in front of her.

"Do I know you?" He asked in the familiar, gentle undertone.

"You…You helped me when I was a kid." Tenten whispered. "Itachi, where did you go?"

"I'm sorry, your name seems to have escaped me."

"Tenten." She said almost desperately.

His eyes widened in recognition. "Tenten!" His face softened. "You've grown so much."

She struggled to stand up, her arms buckling beneath her as she fell towards the ground again. She waited for the impact, but it never came. Itachi caught her and lifted her up the same way he did seven years ago. Tenten buried her face in his chest, smelling the same comforting smell that came from the jacket, only stronger and more concentrated.

"What happened this time?" Itachi asked.

"My father again." Tenten whispered. "I messed up on his dinner this time, but that wasn't my fault. We didn't have any spices in the house."

"How often does he do this to you?"

"Once a week. Sometimes I can handle it but he really hurt me this time."

Itachi sighed.

"Itachi, are you going to disappear again?" Tenten whispered.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I don't want you to go."

He chuckled. It was a warm sound that made me feel like I was home.

"We all have our lives, Tenten. You have your life, and I have my life."

"But I don't like my life."

* * *

><p>Three years went by after that meeting with Itachi. Tenten saw him more often in those three years, as if he understood that she needed him there.<p>

It was around this time that Tenten discovered what he really was.

"FATHER PLEASE!" Tenten cried, dodging out of the way as the blade slashed out towards her.

"YOU STUPID GIRL! I'll kill you!"

Tenten screamed when her back hit a wall. She slid out of the way, protecting her face from the blade. It slashed down her arm painfully. She cried out and ran for her life, shoving the front door open and running down the street. Tenten ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to be far, far away from there.

Off in the distance, she spotted a figure she knew so well.

"ITACHI!" She cried.

Itachi turned towards her. "Tenten what happened?" He asked.

"He slashed me Itachi, look." She sobbed, showing her bloody arm.

Itachi gasped and backed away from her, covering his face with his hand.

"Itachi?" Tenten whispered. "What's wrong?" She stepped towards him.

Itachi backed away again. She took another step, and he turned and ran.

"ITACHI!" She cried. She didn't care what his problem was. She needed him right now. She pursued him, following his sprint to the local park where he was leaning over a bench.

Tenten stopped. He looked like he was in pain. He was breathing heavily and shaking violently.

"Itachi…" She said softly.

Itachi tensed and looked up at her, his dark eyes wide and…fearful?

"Tenten, get away from me. Please." He hissed through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong?" She whispered.

"The blood." Itachi growled. "Get away from me."

Tenten stood her ground. She didn't know what was wrong, but his behaviour worried her.

"Itachi are you all right?" Tenten asked.

"I'm fine, just get away from me." Itachi gasped through his hand.

Despite what he was telling her to do, Tenten continued to approach him.

"Itachi, do you need to go to the hospital?" She asked, reaching out for him.

His hand snapped up faster than she could register and gripped her wrist hard. Tenten gasped just before he shoved her to the ground and pinned her there. Tenten's eyes widened in shock.

Itachi's eyes were bright red. And if she was correct, a pair of gleaming fangs were in his mouth.

"Oh my god…You're…You're…" Tenten gasped.

"I told you to stay away from me." He growled. He was shaking, and he seemed almost fearful.

"I didn't know, Itachi…" She squeaked. "I didn't know you were…" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"A what, Tenten?" He whispered. "What am I?"

"A…A vampire…" She breathed.

Itachi stared at her for several long seconds. With every heartbeat, Tenten watched him shake more and more until finally, he quickly sat back, releasing her from his grip.

Tenten sat up slowly. Her arm was still bleeding, but she didn't really feel it. She touched it carefully and wished she hadn't done so. Fresh blood broke its way through the clot and continued to flow freely down her arm.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground again. Itachi held her bleeding arm in his hand and was staring at it hungrily. He said nothing as he proceeded to lick the blood off her arm.

Tenten's heart raced. He could kill her. He was a vampire. She winced as he sucked on the long gash on her arm.

"Itachi…" She whispered. "Itachi please stop…" She couldn't find it in herself to push him away.

Luckily for her, Itachi did.

He leapt away from her like she was the plague, staring at her fearfully as he covered his mouth again.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered.

Then he was gone.

Tenten looked down at her arm to see that the wound was gone. It was as if it had never existed. There wasn't even a scar.

* * *

><p>The final straw for Tenten came not even two years later. She hadn't seen Itachi since that day. She would be lying to say that she didn't miss him.<p>

But on that fateful day, Tenten was fully prepared to take her life.

She ran, screaming down the streets, her dress torn up in several places. Her father's sexual abuse had started less than a year ago, and today she decided she had had enough. She wouldn't deal with another second of this life.

She ran and ran, eventually coming up to an old bridge that spanned across a fast flowing river. It wasn't used anymore, and was closed off, prepared to be demolished in the next few years. Tenten stared at the fast running water below the bridge. She was resigned to her fate. Today was the day. She was going to get out of this wretched life for good.

Tenten stepped up onto the railing, feeling the wind push her hair and dress back. She officially hated dresses. It made it easier for men to harass her. Tenten ripped the corset off, feeling the sweet relief of not having her abdomen crushed by the tiny, stiff piece of material. She would never wear one again. She threw it over the bridge and watched with satisfaction as it sunk straight down beneath the river.

Tenten closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly.

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind, making her yelp in shock.

"What are you doing?" An angry voice cried.

Tenten struggled against the arms and eventually threw the offending person off. She gasped in shock at the sight of Itachi, looking at her with concern and worry.

"What does it look like, Itachi?" Tenten asked. "I'm trying to die!"

"Why the hell would you want to do that?" Itachi glared at her.

"I'm sick of living! I'm sick of everything! I'm not going back to that house to suffer the brunt of my father's abuse! I will NOT!" She cried, turning and heading back for the edge of the bridge.

Itachi grabbed her arm, stopping her from jumping. Tenten shrieked in fury and turned around, scratching his face with her free hand.

Tenten stared in awe at the parallel gouges in his cheek. They healed over faster than she could've imagined. She could physically see the skin healing over.

"Right. You're a vampire." Tenten whispered.

Itachi wiped his face where the scratches had been. "Yes, I'm a vampire. So it would be foolish to try and resist me."

"Why the hell do you want to stop me anyway?"

"I don't want to see you die, Tenten."

Tenten scoffed and yanked her arm from his grip. "Let's strike a deal then, shall we? I don't want to go back to that house. You're a vampire. I'm sure you can turn a human into a vampire."

"No!" Itachi looked at her in horror. "Tenten, I won't. Not you."

"Fine. My life is in your hands then. Either turn me into a vampire, or I _will_ jump off this bridge."

"Do you realize what you're asking?" Itachi cried.

"Yes, Itachi! I'm asking for a new life!" Tenten sobbed. "I won't live like this anymore!"

"I can't, Tenten."

"Fine, then let me die." Tenten turned around and stepped up onto the edge of the bridge again. Itachi didn't try to stop her this time. Just as she closed her eyes and stepped onto thin air, Itachi yanked her back on the bridge. His expression was pained as she stared at him.

"Fine." He said hoarsely. "I'll turn you. But I won't bite you."

"Isn't that the point?" Tenten asked curiously.

Itachi shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If I bite you, you won't have a free will."

"What are you going to do?" She whispered. "How are you going to do it?"

"I'm going to drain you to the point where there's almost no blood left in you, then give you some of my own." Itachi stated.

Tenten shivered at the thought. She watched as Itachi pulled a small pocketknife from his back pocket.

"Just close your eyes." He said softly.

Tenten did just that. She felt the cool metal cut into her skin and clatter to the bridge just before his mouth wrapped around her throat. She gasped, squirming in his grip, feeling the blood rushing out of her body with every heartbeat. She began to feel dizzy, her eyes opening to hopefully steady her spinning head. Instead, she saw the blurry world beginning to tunnel. She closed her eyes again.

"Itachi…thank you…" She whispered.

Then the world went black.

She would wake up to see Itachi's face leaning over her.

She would wake up reborn as a vampire.

**A/N: Ah finally. Getting out the story of Tenten and Itachi really felt good. Seriously. I know I've been referencing it throughout this story, and I can guarantee you guys wanted to know the story, even if it was just subconsciously.**

**And yes. Tenten was wearing dresses. Why? Because that's what women wore in the 1900's.**

**Next chapter's the finale! No preview this time! Okay, okay, I'll give you a reason for it. The last chapter is falling action. Nothing really big happens. There isn't even a central focus of the chapter. That's why there's no preview. If my calculations are correct though, the next chapter is the longest chapter in this whole story.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Oh, and to all of you, I love your reviews. Not a single one of you begged me for any fluff whatsoever. Thanks so much. I appreciate that. Nobody even gave me any suggestions for what they want to happen. Perhaps this is because I told you from the get go that this story was already completed. I must say, I'm definitely preferential to finishing stories before I post them. I'm sure you guys appreciate the consistent updates too!**

**Well, I'm off!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Strength of Our Bonds

**A/N: Here it is. The final instalment of Moonlight. This is actually the longest chapter I wrote for this story because there's so much to squeeze in.**

**I'll stop talking so you can read.**

**This chapter is dedicated to: chumble, rosesecret02, Chii Saino Kuratsu, DarkAnonymous324, Glitterthorn, AnimeCrazed121, Love Is Only a Word, AnimeLoverHaruka, Dee Lie La, SammiKee, kingdomhearts4evar, Ashurei Aque Blu.**

**I know I didn't reply to any of your reviews but I just didn't have the time. Please accept my sincerest apologies and enjoy the chapter ^^**

Moonlight

Chapter 10: The Strength of Our Bonds

When we returned to the house, Neji seemed more comfortable with his new life. I decided it was time to introduce him to the coven.

"Coven, meet Neji. Neji, meet coven." I stated, cracking a bit of a joke of my own. I don't know. I just thought saying 'Meet coven' sounded funny.

* * *

><p>The blonde female leapt up first, practically gliding forward to shake Neji's hand.<p>

"It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Temari!" She said cheerily. "No hard feelings about the bite jokes, okay? I didn't really mean them."

"Um…yeah…" Neji said awkwardly. He didn't really know what to think of her.

Temari returned to her seat, and the tall, dark haired male approached him.

"It's nice to see that you're well, Neji." He stated with a smooth voice. "I'm Itachi."

_So this is Itachi._ Was the only thought that went through his head. The pureblood looked nothing like Madara. Maybe they were a little similar, but nothing alike.

A second dark haired male stepped forward.

"My name is Sasuke." He stated. "It's nice to meet you. Don't kill us."

Neji recoiled slightly. "You…know?"

"Duh." Sasuke smirked. "When Tenten dragged you in here, she told Itachi you were the slayer that tormented her once upon a time, and he passed the message onto the rest of us."

"Oh."

"So yeah. Don't kill us." Sasuke said again, stepping away.

The blond male came forward.

"Hi Neji!" He said with a big grin. "I'm Naruto! And ditto on what Sasuke said!"

Sasuke snorted. "I knew you would do that."

The coven laughed.

They were a friendly bunch. Neji didn't quite understand it.

"Last but not least, initiation!" Tenten stated, giving the group a big grin.

"Initiation?" Neji asked nervously. "What are you going to make me do, or do to me?"

"Nothing." Itachi stated. "We don't have an initiation."

"You party pooper, Itachi!" Tenten cried. "I was going to make him crack a boulder with his bare hands!"

Itachi scoffed. "There's no initiation."

Neji sighed with relief.

"The only thing you have to do is swear to never feed on a human." Itachi stated.

Neji nodded. "Yeah. I won't."

Itachi nodded. "Then you're in. Welcome to the coven."

Naruto cheered. "YES! I'm not the youngest one anymore!"

The group laughed.

"Naruto, you're fifty going on two." Sasuke stated.

"Aw thank…HEY!"

The coven laughed again. Neji joined in that time. Now he understood just what the coven was about. It was a group of vampires joined together through values and beliefs. Everyone was an individual in the group, and everyone mattered. They were family. They fought like family. They laughed like family.

Neji found himself happy to be a part of that family, regardless of the fact that he was about as human as everyone else in the room.

* * *

><p>"Itachi, I have a question."<p>

Itachi looked towards me. "What is it?"

"Neji asked me a question the other day and I was wondering if you could answer it."

"I'll do my best."

"Could a vampire feed off another vampire?"

"Yes, it is possible."

I looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"

"But two vampires can't sustain each other forever." Itachi stated. "At some point, one of them would have to go out and hunt to replace the nutrients, but yes, it is possible."

I stood there, thinking of all the possibilities that could be done.

"Tenten, I wouldn't recommend it."

"What's wrong?" I frowned.

Itachi leaned against the counter. "Generally, vampires feeding off each other is reserved as something very intimate."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I'm saying it's something vampires do when they're mates."

I blinked in surprise. This was news to me.

"I've never had a mate, but I knew someone who did." Itachi stated. "He was addicted to his partners' blood. Not to mention the bond that was created between the two of them was stronger than even the bond between creator and creation."

I knew what that meant. A creator was a vampire who turned a human. The creation was the human who was turned. Itachi and I had a bond, and now I guess Neji and I did too.

"In fact, I'd even go as far as to say it was a stronger bond than master and servant, and originally that was the most powerful bond out there. It was so powerful, that when his mate was killed by a slayer, he died along with her at exactly the same time."

"Doesn't that happen with master and servant though?"

"Not like that." Itachi stated. "If the servant dies, the master won't, but if the master dies, the servant will wander around lost for several days and then die. Besides, there are recorded circumstances where the servant didn't die."

"So the bond was strong then."

Itachi nodded. "Like nothing I had ever seen before."

I nodded slowly. So feeding off other vampires wasn't an option.

"Thanks Itachi."

Itachi nodded. "It was a very good question though." He said. "I never would've thought any vampire would think of it."

I shrugged. "That's why I didn't have an answer for it."

Itachi nodded again Then his face hardened. "You haven't, right?"

I laughed. "No."

He seemed to sigh with relief.

"If I had, what would you have done?"

"Slapped myself in the forehead because I didn't take it upon myself to warn you about it."

I burst out laughing. "No need for that then. I know now."

Itachi flashed me his warm smile before looking out the window.

I turned to leave the room, but a new question came to my mind.

"Itachi, can you answer me something?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you…You didn't want to see me die. You stopped me from killing myself and turned me even though you didn't want to. So why? Why did you do it?"

Itachi sighed. "That's something I can't answer."

I watched him. His eyes seemed distant as he gazed out the window.

"That same question has confused me since the day I turned you. I still haven't found an answer."

"Take your best shot then. Unless you don't have one of those either." I added with a laugh.

Itachi looked at his feet for a moment. He looked up, turning back to me. "If I were to guess, I would say that…I was lonely."

I blinked.

"You were the first person I found myself comfortable being near. The few years I spent watching you, keeping you safe until you were old enough to move out of that house were some of the best I had." He glanced at the window again. "And when I saw you trying to end your life, all I could think about was never seeing you again."

"So you gave into my request to turn me?"

Itachi sighed but nodded.

"Are you ashamed of doing it?"

Itachi turned towards me again. "I don't know what I feel, Tenten. But I know how I felt the day you found out about me."

I bit my lip, remembering what had happened the day my father slashed me.

"I promised myself I would never feed from a human again, and I did. I just couldn't stop myself when I smelled your blood that first time."

"Itachi, I don't hate you for it. You didn't kill me, so it's all right."

Itachi looked at his feet again, his head bowed in shame.

"It all worked out, didn't it?"

He looked up at me again, his dark eyes meeting mine.

"Yes, I suppose it did." He said softly.

* * *

><p>Neji's first month of being a vampire passed smoothly. Tenten took him out hunting at least once a week. At first, he was hesitant to hurt anything, but then he remembered what Tenten had said about feeling sorry for the cow when he ate a steak and just gave in. The deer's blood tasted like vegetables. That was the only thing he could think. That was okay, because he liked vegetables. Generally, anyways.<p>

On his second week, he ran into his uncle Hiashi. The two of them froze in their tracks.

"Uncle." Neji gasped.

"Neji…" Hiashi whispered. "You've…"

"Yeah. I'm a vampire."

Hiashi took a step back.

"I haven't hurt anyone." Neji stated. "And I won't hurt you."

"What would your father say, Neji…" Hiashi whispered.

Neji bowed his head. "I don't want to know what he would think." He looked up at him. "But I know what I think. I'm not going to be a monster. I'm not hurting humans."

"I don't care what you're doing, Neji. You're still a vampire, and I'm a slayer. Because of that, I'll do anything I can to kill you."

"Good to know. Now I know to avoid you at all costs."

Hiashi stared at him.

"Goodbye, uncle." Neji turned and leapt into the trees.

Later that same week, Tenten had given him the answer to the question he had asked. He understood that it wasn't possible for vampires to feed off each other. He understood the whole mating concept.

Even so, that same night he thought about the day she turned him. Though he had fallen into a state of unconsciousness, he could still feel everything that was going on. He assumed it was part of the marks' way of transforming him. He felt her fangs bite down on his throat. Just remembering it sent chills down his spine. Chills of what, he didn't know.

At the end of the third week, Neji had a conversation with Naruto.

"You were bitten too, huh?" Naruto asked.

Neji looked at him.

"Luckily for you, you had Tenten to counter the bite." He sighed. "The bite ran its course with me."

Neji frowned. "But doesn't that mean you're a servant to a vampire?"

"No." Naruto sighed. He looked almost sad as he said his next words. "She was killed after she bit me." He sighed. "Would you frown on me if I said that I liked that vampire? 'Cause you're a slayer and all so…"

"You actually liked the vampire that bit you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I was a kid then. An orphan. She gave me candy and treated me nicely. After I'd known her for a few months, she asked me if I wanted to stay with her forever, and I told her 'yes' and she bit me.

"Then the slayers came, and they killed her. I managed to escape back to the orphanage I grew up in. A family adopted me a few months later, and two years after that, I turned into a vampire right before their eyes." Naruto sighed. "I'm ashamed to say I killed them both. But I felt so lost and lonely, I just couldn't help it. Then Itachi and his coven came and took me in. I didn't feel so lonely anymore, but…" Naruto looked up at the sky. "Gosh, I miss that vampire." He continued staring up at the sky. "It's like a piece of me was ripped out and nothing can fill it in. I have this constant feeling that I don't belong anywhere."

"So you really liked your master." Neji murmured.

"Yes. I do." There was a small smile on his face. "Sometimes I dream about her at night and she's always smiling and saying how proud of me she is, and how she wishes she was still here to watch me grow."

"You sound like you're talking about your mother."

Naruto shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe that's what she is to me. A mother I never got to live with."

It seemed as if everyone in the coven had a story to tell. Neji couldn't help but wonder about Itachi, Sasuke and Temari and what their stories were.

Neji smirked. On second thought, skip Itachi. He didn't want to hear the story of his life if he was really over a thousand years old.

* * *

><p>I was spending a lot of time with Neji. Sometimes I would seek him out, other times he would seek me out. Either way, whenever I was with him I felt differently. It wasn't unpleasant either. I had to admit I really liked being around him.<p>

Like right now.

We were by the lake again. I was sitting against the same rock where I had almost been ambushed the first day our paths crossed. Neji's head lay in my lap. His eyes were closed, his expression peaceful. I ran my fingers through his hair, unable to tell whether he was sleeping or not.

The full moon glinted high in the sky, bathing us in moonlight. It was truly beautiful to see.

His eyelids fluttered open, his pretty iridescent eyes meeting mine.

"Have a nice snooze?" I asked with a wry grin.

Neji smirked. "I wasn't sleeping."

"Thought so." I grinned.

Neji sat up, turning so he could lean against the rock beside me. "So. Right here, huh?" He murmured.

"Hm?" I looked at him.

"This is what you were seeing when I tried to kill you."

"Oh." I mentally slapped myself for not realizing what he was saying.

Neji stood up. "I think I remember seeing you over here." He stated, starting to pace out the general area. "I thought you looked pretty vulnerable, so I leapt over the rock…" His voice trailed off. A second later, an arm wrapped around my neck. I yelped as Neji flipped me. We rolled and wrestled until he managed to pin me with him on top.

"Well that wasn't supposed to happen!" He cried.

"Oh sorry, I didn't know we were recreating the fight." I smirked at him.

Neji shrugged. "I guess I win this time. Score one for the slayer."

My jaw dropped. "No!" I attempted to push him off me and have another go, but he pressed me into the ground. I glared at him, while his eyes danced with amusement. Our staring contest lasted at least a minute. In that time, I started to lose sense of what I was doing. I started to relax as he released his grip on me just slightly. I started to feel a peculiar warmth spreading through me. It made me feel almost weary. I couldn't even register how close he was until his lips pressed against mine.

I gasped, pressing my lips into his in return. His hands slid off my shoulders and cupped the back of my head, drawing me closer to him. I reached up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He sighed against my lips, flicking his tongue across my bottom lip.

Our kiss broke for a moment, our half lidded eyes meeting as we caught our breath.

"Neji…" I breathed. "Is this okay?"

Neji's lips ghosted softly across mine. "I don't know." He murmured. "Does it feel okay?" He kissed me again.

"Mmm, yeah…" I sighed.

Neji's lips met mine again. And indeed it did feel okay. It felt more than okay. It felt like nothing I had ever felt before. It felt like…I could never explain it.

I gasped as our lips moved feverishly, battling for dominance. His tongue flicked across my lip again. I gasped, allowing his tongue to slip between my lips. He turned his head a moment later, pulling me closer to the movement of his lips. I moaned, pulling him closer to me.

I heard him gasp as I knotted my fist in his hair. He broke the kiss.

"Tenten, you're killing me…" He breathed.

"Really?" I whispered, feeling my vampire stir within me. "Score a point for the vampire then."

Neji smirked, his iridescent eyes bleeding red. "So we're even."

I smirked right back at him, sliding out from beneath him as I held his face between my hands.

"Do you think I'm going to let you leave so easily?" Neji asked, holding her in place.

"No, in fact I would expect you to keep me here by force."

A devilish grin crossed his face.

I squealed as he leapt at me, pinning me to the ground again.

"Don't tempt me." He growled, kissing me forcefully.

My breath caught in my throat. I could feel his weight on top of me. I moaned into his lips, every movement taking my breath away. I heard him breathing heavily along with me as I dug my nails into his back.

I pulled my lips off his, desperate for air. I moaned as he kissed my throat, his tongue sliding softly across my skin.

"Neji…" I gasped. This was dangerous territory. If he bit me…

I yelped as he sucked on my throat. My hand clenched his hair tightly, nearly ripping it from his scalp. Neji moved onto the next area, drawing a more frantic cry from my lips. I pulled him closer, not wanting him to stop. I didn't worry about him biting me. In fact, I wanted him to bite me. I wanted to feel his fangs sinking deep into my throat. It didn't help that I wanted to bite him myself to suppress my cries.

I felt his fangs prick my throat. I held my breath in anticipation, but Neji seemed to stop.

"T-Tenten…" he breathed. "I…This is bad…" his voice trembled.

I breathed, my head turning so I could press kisses against his throat. "Who says?" I whispered.

Neji gasped. "Tenten…"

"I want you, Neji." I breathed. "Do it. Bite me."

"Aren't you scared?"

I held him tight, closing my eyes. "Yes, just a little." I whispered. "But it feels right."

Neji kissed my throat again. My breath hitched. "Neji…" I whispered.

He gasped against my skin, his tongue sliding across it, his arms shaking. My head fell back with a groan as he sucked my neck again.

"Neji, please…"

"Close your eyes."

I did. A second later, I screamed as his fangs stabbed into my throat. It felt like fire, like ice, like nothing I had ever felt before. On instinct, I bit down on his neck.

He cried out, releasing my throat. "Tenten…" He gasped.

His blood tasted sweeter than it did when he was human. I gasped, letting my head fall back to the ground.

Neji pulled me into his chest. I think we were both in shock. His lips found mine again. He kissed me tenderly. I kissed him just as softly.

When we broke apart again, a soft chuckle escaped my lips.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

My chuckle broke into a laugh. "Nothing. I was just thinking about what Itachi had said he would do if we had bitten each other before we knew what would happen."

"What did he say?"

"He said he would slap himself in the forehead."

Neji sniggered and started to laugh. "I can see him doing that. Like…right now."

I giggled for a few seconds before breaking into a full on laugh. "I see it!" I cried.

We lay there, laughing towards the starry sky as we wondered what the coven leader would do now.

"Neji?"

"Yes?"

"Just don't die, okay?"

Neji burst out laughing. "Of course, I expect the same from you."

We continued to laugh, enjoying the first moments of our new bond.

* * *

><p>Sasuke smiled at the sight of the pink mop of hair in the distance.<p>

Sakura turned towards him, a grin splitting across her features as she ran towards him.

"Sasuke!" She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sasuke pulled her close, kissing her throat softly as he'd always done.

She pulled away so she could see his face. "What are we going to do today?"

"I want you to meet my family." He murmured.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Your…family?"

"Yeah." He leaned closer to her. "My coven." He breathed in her ear.

Sakura shivered.

"Don't worry." He whispered. "None of them eat human."

Sakura giggled. "Except you."

Sasuke snorted. "I try not to Sakura, but you're just so tempting…" He kissed her throat again.

Sakura moaned. "Sasuke stop it. Not here."

"Hm." He released her. "If you insist."

"So I can really meet your family?" Sakura asked.

"Of course." Sasuke stated, holding out his hand. "Come on."

Sakura took his hand and walked beside him. "So anyone I should be worried about?"

"I don't think so. Maybe the youngest one. He only turned a few months ago."

"Really?"

Sasuke nodded. "I had nothing to do with it though, so don't hate me because you're still not one."

Sakura laughed. "I'm still waiting you know."

"No." Sasuke said with a grin.

"You're so mean." She bumped him with her hip.

Sasuke let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He gave her a rough noogie, making her scream in protest.

"Say uncle, Sakura!" He growled.

Sakura squealed with laughter. "Uncle! Uncle!" She cried.

Sasuke released her. Sakura pressed herself into his side and kissed his cheek.

"You're so funny, Sasuke."

"Yeah, yeah. You say that." He gave her a quick kiss. "We're almost there."

"Oooh, which house?" Sakura asked, looking around for it.

"You can't miss it. It's a huge, ugly thing." Sasuke stated, stating purely the truth.

Sakura scanned the houses on the street, completely skipping the rundown, fenced off rat house at the end of the road.

"Give me another hint!" Sakura whined.

"Not a single one of the houses you looked at was the right one."

"Well unless you live in a cardboard box and your family is a bunch of dust bunnies, I see no other house."

"I'm dead serious, Sakura." Sasuke chuckled. "It's the big ugly one at the end of the road."

"What?" Sakura cried. "You live _there_?"

"I know. It's terrible. It took us weeks to clean up." Sasuke pushed the gate open, cringing at the squeaky hinges. "I forgot it did that." He muttered.

"What, squeaked?"

"Keep it down a bit, Sakura." Sasuke said softly. "I would rather walk in the front door with you than have them come out and see you."

"Oh. Okay." Sakura breathed.

Sasuke pushed the gate closed again, grateful it didn't squeak on the way back. He took her hand and led her towards the house.

"You didn't tell them you were bringing me, did you?" Sakura whispered.

"I told my brother, and knowing him, he should've forewarned everyone else." Sasuke shoved the front door open and kicked off his shoes. Sakura did the same. Sasuke looked at her, seeing her trembling slightly. "It'll be okay. I promise. They won't hurt you."

Sakura nodded slowly.

He kissed her forehead before leading her deeper into the house, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

The pair suddenly heard a series of 'Ohhh's, that most of the time when heard are followed by a drawn out 'buuuurrrrrrnn'.

"Damn. You guys are evil." Naruto's voice stated.

Sasuke looked around the corner to see everyone playing a game of Uno. He cleared his throat, keeping Sakura hidden for now.

The coven turned towards him.

"Hey Sasuke. Where've you been?" Naruto asked.

"Out." Sasuke stated. "I want you to meet somebody."

"Uh oh." Temari began to snigger.

Sasuke looked towards Sakura and nodded. Sakura stepped forward and Sasuke wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulders.

"This is Sakura." Sasuke stated.

Sakura's eyes fell on Neji and her jaw dropped.

"What the hell? HYUUGA?" She cried.

Neji jumped from the table and scrambled away. "Haruno? Sasuke are you freaking serious?"

"You…know each other?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"We went to the same school." Neji stated. "We were friends."

"Neji I didn't know you were-"

"I wasn't."

Sakura's mouth formed an O of realization.

"Neji, sit down." Tenten told him.

Neji sighed and returned to his seat at the table.

"Come join us, Sakura." Itachi invited.

Sasuke grabbed two chairs and pulled them up. Naruto tossed them seven cards each.

* * *

><p>As we played the game of Uno, there were many thoughts that flashed through my mind.<p>

The first thoughts were about Neji. I thought about the bond we now shared, and how Itachi still had yet to figure it out. Or maybe he had already figured it out, and had yet to let us know that he knew. I would never know until one of us spoke up. Not to mention I was totally stunned that he knew Sakura. It made me realize just how small the world was.

My second thoughts were on Itachi of course. I wondered how he was feeling about Sakura, and the fact that Sasuke fed from her on occasion. I thought about why he transformed me into a vampire, and how he felt about me. I knew we had a bond of our own with the crap I went through, and the support he gave me, but he was always so stoic when it came to showing emotion. I never knew what he was thinking. I had a feeling that he cared about me, though he'd never actually said it.

Then there was Sasuke. I realized that ever since he found Sakura, he'd been happier. I never thought the stiff, sharp-tongued pureblood could have such a soft look in his eyes. I didn't know whether Sasuke would ever turn her, or if Sakura even wanted to be turned. I supposed that was one thing that only time could tell, and that was their decision to make.

Finally, I thought about the coven. I knew we were pushing our luck by staying here in Konoha. I knew Neji's entire family were vampire slayers, and they were probably after us as we plopped cards on the table and screamed in fury at the turn of events. Then again, Neji had also said that the duty of a slayer was to protect society from vampires. They weren't hurting anybody, so there was almost no sign there were vampires in town. The coven was safe here in Konoha.

I frowned as I remembered the reason we were running in the first place. We were hiding from our own kind. I don't know whether everyone still remembered that, but our few months of pure peace may have numbed us to the bigger picture.

I shook the feelings off. I wouldn't worry about such trivial things. Right now, we were safe. I didn't know whether that would change or not, but for now, I would be happy with what I had. I had Neji, Itachi, Sasuke had Sakura, and of course, we all had each other.

Every last one of us were happy.

.

.

.

FIN

**A/N: Gah, I hate ending a story. It's always so hard to come up with the last sentence! It's like nothing will ever do it justice!**

**Now…I'm fully aware of all of the untied ends I left in this story. That was deliberate. Because there's going to be two more instalments for this story. Yes, I have dubbed it the Moonlight Trilogy.**

**As I write this, four chapters for the sequel have been written. I decided on the title of **_**Shadow of the Moon**_** so look out for it. I already know what's going to occur in the sequel. I have it planned out. The third instalment has merely been drafted. Basically I know what I want to do with this story, so please, don't mess with my plans by throwing suggestions at me. If you want to know more about something (such as a characters past), let me know, but no guarantees that it'll be carried out. **

**I don't know when I'm going to start posting **_**Shadow of the Moon**_**. I don't want to deadline myself because frankly, school is coming and this year is a really important year for me. I will write in snatches, and it'll come out when it comes out. If you REALLY care about when the sequel will come out, you'll probably subscribe to me, but I'm going to estimate that I'll start posting **_**Shadow of the Moon**_**, hopefully before Christmas. The same rules will apply, one update per week on Wednesdays unless otherwise specified.**

**Well. That's all folks! ^^**

**Thanks so much for reading Moonlight! My first Supernatural fic EVER! I love you all!**


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